Northern Lights
by KassandraScarlett
Summary: "If you believed as he did... would you risk his soul?" Carlisle asks Bella in New Moon. When Edward Masen moves with his mother to Forks, Isabella Cullen needs to deal with the temptation of her singer's blood and falling in love. How far can she go before she succumbs to either one of her vices, or both?(Sequel: Dying Sun is now up).
1. Prologue- First Sight

**Okay, this is the first fic I've ever written, so please give it a chance before thinking it's an old idea. I know it has been tried before, but I couldn't find it completed anywhere. So I thought I'd give it a shot.**

 **Also, I don't own Twilight or any of the characters.**

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Prologue:

Dear Diary,

Today is possibly the last time I shall ever write to you. Today, my golden-eyed friend will take me away from this hell and make me like him. Strong. Beautiful. Immortal. I do not know why he wants to; he seemed very worried; but I am grateful he does.

So, I shall take this last chance to tell you about a vision I had today. Unlike my other visions, which are blurry and indistinct; this was unusually clear and crisp. What's more, whereas the farthest my visions have shown me is a few days, this one without a doubt will take place after a long time.

The vision was simple. There were two people sitting across from each other; one boy and one girl, doing nothing but laughing their heads off. The girl was me, but I was different. I was paler and my eyes were golden, like my friend. I suppose that means the change will be successful. However, the boy was unequivocally human. He had messy, bronze hair and green eyes. One look and I knew that we would be best friends, like brother and sister.

I don't know when this vision will come to pass; a few decades or a few centuries, but pass it will.

My time is almost up. My friend will soon be here, pale as dawn and golden-eyed as usual. He said that I would never be able to return or be seen by my old family after the change. I don't mind. My mother is dead, my father wants me dead and my stepmother hardly cares. My only regret is that I cannot say goodbye to my sister, my Cynthia. I hope she does not forget me.

Until next time,

M.A.B.

Ch. 1- First Sight- EPOV

I looked out the windshield of my car at the buildings in front of me and sighed. It was still raining. Seriously, did it ever stop? Not that I didn't like the rain; I loved it. But there was a limit to everything and this was crossing it. At this rate, I was going to grow sick of it. This was why Phoenix was so much better. But no, my mom just had to decide to move in with her brother, back in her hometown, where she'd first met my dad, and my uncle was only too happy to oblige. So here I was, stuck in a little town in the middle of nowhere: Forks, Washington.

Well, moping in my car wasn't going to help. I parked my silver Volvo, my pride and joy, and began walking towards the administration office. On the way, my eyes raked the parking lot and saw that most of the cars were old, nothing flashy. The nicest cars were mine and a deep blue Audi R8. Really, who drove a sports car to school? Still, I couldn't help but gape at it for a full minute before entering the building.

There was a red-headed woman sitting at the desk, Mrs. Cope according to the nameplate. She cast an appraising eye over me. "Edward Masen?" I nodded and she handed me a sheet of paper, which I had to get signed by every teacher, and a map. "I hope you like Forks, Edward," she smiled. I didn't want to lie to her, so I just smiled in return. However, I knew it was going to take a lot of effort on my part to like this place.

English was my first class. I looked through the reading list and fought back a grimace; they were all classics: Shakespeare, Brontë, Faulkner. If that wasn't bad enough, everybody was staring at me and they weren't even trying to be discreet about it. Thankfully, I'd had plenty of practice avoiding stares back home, though they were mostly from girls, so I was able to ignore them. As soon as the bell rang, I began walking towards my next class.

In the hallway, a girl suddenly bumped into me and fell back on the ground. "Oh sorry! I didn't see you," she squeaked as I offered a hand to help her up. "No problem," I smiled at her. She was super short, but her wildly curly, black hair made up for it.

"You're Edward Masen, aren't you? I'm Jessica Stanley." She shook my already outstretched hand. "Why don't you sit with me and my friends at lunch?" Before I could respond, she gave me a wave and skipped off.

The rest of the day was the same. Nobody seemed to consider the fact that it was rude to stare and blatantly scrutinized me. Another boy, with blond hair gelled into stiff spikes and blue eyes, called Mike Newton, came up to talk to me. He was friends with Jessica, so I didn't have to make an excuse when he asked me to sit with him at lunch.

It was then, while I was being introduced to the crowd, that I first saw them.

They were a group of five, here girls and two boys. One guy was heavily muscled, as if he might be on steroids, with short black hair. The guy next to him was just as muscular, but leaner, with honey blond hair that reached his shoulders. The girls were complete opposites. The first one was shorter than Jessica, her spiky black hair sticking out in every direction. Instead of looking messy, it made her seem ethereal and fairy-like, like a dark-haired version of Tinker Bell. The second girl was a statuesque blonde, her hair going till her waist, waving gently in the middle. My first thought was to date her. She looked like the type of girl I usually dated and was easily the most beautiful of them all. At least, that's what I thought until my eyes fell upon the last girl. She had wavy, dark brown hair that fell just past her shoulders, pulled back by a hair band, delicate features, a petite body and a slender frame. The others were amazing to look at too, of course, but she was just… perfect. I found myself wishing I could see her eyes.

They were all different from each other, but it was the similarities that caught my eye. They weren't looking at each other, or anywhere else, not even gawking at me, the shiny new toy. And none of them seemed to move a muscle. They were all pale, very pale and had purplish circles shadowing their eyes. And yet, they were all so… beautiful. As I watched, the blond guy stood up and dumped his tray, before exiting the cafeteria. I looked on in awe as he moved with a tiger's grace, tensed and ready to spring.

"You're wasting your time," Mike said. I turned reluctantly to look at him. "Who are they?" I asked, ignoring his words. "The Cullens and Hales. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen's kids. All adopted."

I blinked in surprise. Mike continued, enjoying the chance to seem knowledgeable. "They came down to live here two years ago. They mostly keep to themselves, but the teachers really love them. They're the quintessential perfect students, except Jasper has a habit of acting up in History class. They're all pretty odd actually. The weirdest thing is they're all dating each other." The contempt in his voice was clear, but I could see why it wasn't technically wrong that adopted siblings were dating each other.

"Who's who?" I asked. "The blonde girl is Rosalie Hale. She's with Mr. Muscles, Emmet Cullen."

 _'Well, there goes the idea of dating her'_ , I thought. I mi9ght have been a flirt, but I had my morals. I didn't cheat, and I didn't hook up with cheaters. Funnily enough, I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I should be.

Mike went on, using his fork to point. "The blond guy who looks like he's in pain, the one who just left, is Jasper Hale, Rosalie's twin. He's with Alice Cullen, the black haired pixie. She's a weird one." He paused to take a bit of his food.

"Who's the brunette?" I asked, unable to stop myself. He looked up at her, then smirked. "That's Isabella Hale, or Bella. She's Jasper and Rosalie's younger sister." "She's single?" I was still observing her, nut turned to Mike, who rolled his eyes at me.

"Yeah, but like I said before, you'd be wasting your time. Sure, she's hot, but she doesn't date. Apparently, none of the guys here are good enough for her." _'Aha'_ , I thought. Was that bitterness in his voice? I bit my lip, trying not to smile, as I wondered when and how many times she'd rejected him. When I turned to look at her again, her cheeks appeared to be lifted, as if she were smiling too.

"We'll see how long she maintains that status," I mumbled. Mike scoffed. "Yeah, good luck".

All of a sudden, Isabella turned her head sharply in my direction and our eyes met, just before she turned away again. The contact had lasted only a split second but there had been some sort of unmet expectation in her eyes. But before I could work it out, all of them stood up to make their way to their classes. As they went, I again marveled at their quick, graceful lope. Even the giant Emmett looked like he belonged on a ramp walk.

"Edward, I think you've got Biology next. I've got that too; we'll go together", said Jessica. I didn't see any reason to refuse, so I followed her out, though Mike didn't seem too happy about it.

As we walked towards class, my thoughts drifted towards Isabella Hale. Mike had been adamant that she didn't date anyone. Maybe I could try my luck. As soon as the thought entered my mind, I banished it. There was a reason I only dated blondes, or occasionally redheads or black-haired girls. But brunettes? Never. No matter how beautiful they were.

Finally we entered the class. I had completely blocked out Jessica's words and continued to do so. As we walked in, I looked around and saw that every table seated two students, so they would be forced to be partners for the whole semester. There was only one seat available, next to a girl. As I approached the desk, I recognized the crown of dark hair. Isabella Hale.

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 **I'm sure everyone can guess where the prologue came from. Please tell me in your reviews how you found it. Also, I'm just sixteen, so please don't be too harsh in your reviews, and give me your opinions and suggestions. Thanks.**


	2. Purgatory

**Okay, so I'm planning on alternating the chapters between EPOV and BPOV. That way, both the characters' feelings come across.**

 **Margretchen: Yes I've read Life and death, and it definitely helped to get some ideas, but ultimately, I'm trying not to let that affect this story too much. Also, I've switched Edward and Bella's powers. otherwise, it was getting a bit complicated. Hope nobody minds. :)**

 **And I don't own Twilight or the characters.**

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Ch. 2- Purgatory- BPOV

I hate high school. It was, quite simply, torture. This was really all I could think about as my siblings and I sat at lunch, trying to find patterns that weren't there in the ceilings and walls.

 _'Bella'_ , Alice's voice sounded as clearly in my head as if she'd spoken out loud. _'How is he holding up?'_ I didn't want to worry her, but I frowned slightly, so only she would notice. _'Any immediate danger?'_ she asked while she tried to summon a vision.

I focused on Jasper, listening to his thoughts as he tried to keep his mind off the burn in his throat; the burn which I could feel just as strongly. His eyes were only as dark as the rest of ours, but he was suffering the most. Still, he seemed firmly in control of himself. I was about to shake my head subtly to let Alice know, when Jasper caught her looking at me intently.

"I'm fine, stop worrying. No Alice, I'm _fine_ ," he stressed when Alice opened her mouth to say something. _'You too, Isa, don't even think of saying anything.'_ Before either of us could stop him, he stood up to dump his tray and went away to his class. Rosalie sighed and patted Alice's back, while Emmett smiled comfortingly.

"The Cullens and Hales. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen's kids. All adopted," I suddenly heard someone say. Immediately my attention snapped over to a conversation across the cafeteria. My siblings were too distracted to notice, so I just listened. "They came down to live here two years ago. They mostly keep to themselves, but the teachers really love them. They're the quintessential perfect students, except Jasper has a habit of acting up in History class. They're all pretty odd actually. The weirdest thing is they're all dating each other." I could recognize the voice now; Mike Newton. It had been quite a while since he'd bothered me. Through his eyes, I saw a new student sitting beside him, watching us with curious, fascinated eyes. I recognized his messy, bronze hair (I have never seen hair of that color) from everyone else's minds: Edward Masen. He must have asked about us, because mike was giving him the rundown on each of my siblings.

"Who's the brunette?" he asked in a low voice. _'Oh good luck with her, idiot'_ , Mike thought before answering. "That's Isabella Hale, or Bella. She's Jasper and Rosalie's younger sister."

"She's single?" Edward asked and immediately I rolled my eyes. Seriously, did human teenagers think of nothing else? This boy didn't even know me, but was already thinking about asking me out.

Out of habit, I listened for his mind to confirm my assumptions. But, I could hear… nothing. I frowned. Was there something wrong with me? No, I could still hear everyone else. I tried again. But there was nothing but silence. I began to panic as I tried to pinpoint his mental voice.

When I failed, I listened to Mike answer his question. "Yeah, but like I said before, you'd be wasting your time. Sure, she's hot, but she doesn't date. Apparently, none of the guys here are good enough for her." I tried to hide my smile at the annoyance coloring his tone. _'Seriously, why does she have to play so hard-to-get?'_ it had been a relief for me when Mike had finally left me alone. His fantasies of me wrapped up in his arms and pressed tightly to his chest had grated on my nerves, and some days I seriously considered showing him the consequences of my teeth and lips getting anywhere that close to him.

I had resumed trying to hear Edward's thoughts, when I heard him say softly, "We'll see how long she maintains that status." The instant the words left his mouth, I couldn't help but turn to look at him. His bright green eyes met mine and I couldn't hide the frustration I felt at having been thwarted. I looked away almost immediately, trying to ignore Mike's scornful thoughts.

"Let's go, I've had enough of lunch today," Rose sighed, and all of us stood up to go to our classes.

As I sat in Biology, I tried to understand the puzzle that Edward's silent mind presented and freaked me out. I was broken out of my thoughts by Jessica's voice. She was talking to Edward. It seemed he was sharing this class with me.

A quick glance around the room showed that the only place for him was the one next to me. I started to create space for him and chuckled darkly. This was going to be a long semester for Edward Masen, sitting next to a vampire in class. Still, maybe with him so close, I could read his mind. Just then Edward entered the class. The door swung close behind him, sending his scent in my direction.

It hit me like a wrecking ball; with the force of a battering ram. Every muscle in my body tensed, coiled to pounce. In that second, nothing in the world existed, except me, the hunter, and him, my prey. There was no truth, other than that I was a vampire and Edward had the most deliciously scented blood I had ever smelt. I hadn't known such pleasure existed; if I had, I would have gone looking for it long ago. Everyone else in the room was just collateral damage.

Edward was already looking at me, when I finally lifted my head in his direction. His emerald orbs widened in surprise as he took in my hostile expression, and the reflection in them was clearly visibly to my superior eyesight.

My eyes were tight and coal black, smoldering with thirst, and the shadows under them prominent. My nostrils flared, as I took in the scent. My lips were set halfway between a snarl and a grimace. It was the face of a monster.

Reason came back to me and I knew what I had to do. There was no way I could control myself, if I breathed him in. Thankfully, I didn't need to breathe. Quickly, I cut off my air supply. Even so, I could practically taste his scent on my tongue, as he sat down next to me, letting out a breath he'd been holding. My fingers were itching to fasten around his neck and shoulders, and I clenched them into fists. I fixed three faces in my mind's eye; the first one was of the monster, and the other two were of my parents, Carlisle and Esme.

There was no similarity between my face and theirs. Nor should there be. I wasn't their daughter by blood. None of us were. Yet, I'd hoped that over the years, my face had begun to reflect all they had taught me. That some of Carlisle's wisdom could be marked on my brow, Esme's compassion could be found in the set of my mouth.

But all those tiny improvements, proof that I was a Cullen, had been consumed by the thirst. I felt n irrational rage at this aggravating human. I'd spent years trying to to perfect my self-control, and I would be damned if he was going to be the undoing of it all. _'One hour'_ , I told myself. _'I can make it through an hour.'_

The next sixty minutes were spent with my hands clenched and my teeth gritted. Every now and then, Edward would run a hand through his hair, sending a fresh waft of his scent in my direction. Whenever this happened, I cursed his very existence. Once he sneaked a look in my direction and caught the barely concealed fury in my glare. I could smell the adrenaline rushing through his veins, as he paled and turned away, trying to control his erratic breathing.

As soon as the bell rang, I gathered my books and ran out of the class, a little faster than I should have. Dumping my bag into my car, I ran off into the forest that surrounded Forks, hoping the run would calm me.

But I couldn't get Edward's scent out of my head. As I returned to the school parking lot, I caught a whiff of it and realized he was heading my way. Panicking, I rushed towards my Audi. My siblings were already seated and were shocked to see me so flustered and breathing heavily. Ignoring them, I started the car.

Jasper, who was next to me, turned to Alice for answers, as did Rosalie and Emmett. She must have been concentrating hard on her mate, if she hadn't seen anything. Right now, she searched for something that would tell her about what happened. I waited for her to pull out her vision, when her mind would become accessible to me, and show me the vision through memory.

She suddenly gasped. "Oh, it's because of him." Everybody turned to me again in confusion, but I could only see Alice, as she showed me what she saw. Edward was sitting on his bed, facing away from the window, so he didn't see me silently appear. He didn't even look up as I slowly climbed in and made my way towards him. The vision shifted. Edward was now sprawled across the bed, his eyes wide open, frozen in shock, pain and fear, his tanned skin appearing sickly pale. I was sitting beside him, sobbing. My eyes were no longer black or gold, but a vivid crimson red, swimming with the blood of-

"Stop it," I moaned. "Sorry," Alice replied in the same tone, as she got another vision. "You're leaving?" Her voice shook, having seen me driving off alone.

But she didn't wait for me to answer. "Drop us off at the turning and go to Carlisle. He's still at the hospital." I nodded and did as she said. Rose and Emmett got off first, knowing Alice would soon explain things. Alice's voice softened. "I'll miss you. Come back as soon as you're sure you can, alright?"I nodded and she left, leaving me and Jasper alone.

He sent me a wave of comfort and brotherly love in my direction. "I don't need to be Alice to know that you will do the right thing, Isa. I'm not sure what's going on, but no one will judge you. We'll all still love you." I tried to smile in response as he leaned forward to kiss my cheek, before leaving.

I started the car again. I knew Carlisle would understand and let me go if I really needed to. So maybe, it was time to visit our 'cousins', the Denalis.


	3. Accident

**Thanks everyone for your support; it really means a lot to me. Also, I hope you've noticed how Edward is different. I deliberately made him a lot more easy-going than the original.**

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Ch. 3- Accident- EPOV

Dinner with mom is never a quite affair. Dr. Elizabeth Masen speaks enough for herself and anyone else in the room. Both my uncle Phil and I almost always tune her out. She knew this, but didn't really mind, because she never needed someone to listen to her, just someone to talk to. Right now, I was paying less attention than I usually do, because I was too busy thinking about Isabella.

Why had she been so angry? Had I unknowingly done something to upset her? But I didn't even know her. Yet she'd spent the whole period tensed, her hands clenched into fists so tight that the tendons standing out on her pale arms were starkly visible. The sleeves of her white T-shirt had been pulled up and I'd been surprised to see the small bulges of hard muscle beneath her skin. She clearly wasn't the delicate creature I'd thought she was, and I had a feeling neither of her sisters were either.

"So how was school today?" My mom finally caught my attention. I hesitated. "It was fine, everyone's really nice." _'With one outstanding exception'_. Mom just nodded to herself.

"Hey Phil," I started. 'What do you know about the Cullens?" Phil was the Chief of Police in this town and was my best shot at getting to know about them.

He looked up, interested. "Dr. Cullen's family? Sure, they're great people. Their kids are especially well behaved." He paused. "Why, have people been talking again?"

"No, no, I was just wondering. They don't seem to mingle much, and I got the feeling they were too old to be in high school."

Phil smiled sadly. "They're all orphans, Edward. They've had pretty rough pasts." Both my mom and I gave him questioning looks, so he went on.

"Emmett and Alice are Carlisle's nephew and niece. Carlisle and his brother had had a fall out and hadn't seen each other in several years. When the children were just five and four years old, they decided to let bygones be bygones and Carlisle traveled to France to meet him. On arrival, he came to know that both his brother and sister-in-law had died in an accident on their way to pick him. He and his wife, Esme, took them in."

"What about the Hales?" Mom asked. I looked at her in surprise and she shrugged. "I met Dr. Cullen today and the rest of the staff filled me in on some of the local gossip."

Phil spoke again. "Esme does a lot of social work. She found them in an orphanage. Their parents had been killed in a fire at their work place when the twins were six, and the younger sister was five. They'd wandered the London streets for a year, before the orphanage found them." He paused. "You say they're aloof and stand-off-ish. I think that's just they're maturity. Being alone at such a young age does that to people, no matter for how short a time."

"You're not usually this interested in people, Edward. Why all the questions?" I just shrugged. "One of them sits next to me in Biology. Isabella Hale."

Phil's face brightened. "Ah, Bella. She's a sweet kid. The youngest of them all, but the most responsible, too. She's my favorite. The most beautiful, too."

I smiled at that. "They're all beautiful." Phil laughed. "You should see the doctor. Most of the nurses have a hard time concentrating on their work. It's a good thing he's happily married."

My mother was peering at me closely. I'd noticed her ears had perked up at the word 'beautiful'. "What does this Isabella look like?"

"Just like the rest of her siblings," I answered vaguely. "Pale skin, dark eyes, killer body, kind of short..." I hesitated. "Brown hair." My mom squealed. "Oh, the brunette. I saw her today. She'd come over to the hospital after school to talk to her father."

I cut in before she got too ahead of herself. "Mom, before you ask, I'm not going to ask her out." True to form, she glared at me. "Why not? She seems perfect. The exact opposite of those cheerleaders you've dated."

I groaned. I knew she hated every single one of the blondes I dated, calling them 'stupid' and 'air-headed'. I suppose she was right, though stereotypical. A true romantic, she had a vision of me spending my life happily with a witty, intellectual girl with brown hair. "For one, I'll date a brunette only when I'm absolutely sure I'm in love with her. Till then, I'll play the field. Second, she doesn't date." Before she could find an argument, my uncle came to my rescue. "Let the boy go, Lizzie," Phil laughed. My mom pouted at her brother like a child, while I quickly shot him a thankful look.

But after dinner, as I lay in bed, I couldn't stop thinking about the very person I _didn't_ want to think about. I closed my eyes and recalled her angry posture. At 6'2", I towered over her, yet when she'd turned to glare at me, I'd actually felt threatened, like I needed to run to save my life.

And her eyes; they were black. Not like a really dark brown, but just flat out black. Yet, none of those markers of her anger made her seem any less attractive. There was no doubt about it: Isabella Hale was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen.

The next day, as I walked into the cafeteria, I made up my mind to ask her why she'd been so upset the day before. But I was in for a bit of a disappointment. There were only four people at the Cullen's table. Isabella was missing.

I frowned. Maybe she was skipping lunch. She'd probably be there in class. But no, she wasn't. I went home disappointed, and annoyed at myself for feeling that way.

Isabella remained a no-show for the rest of the week and the weekend passed without event. I foolishly convinced myself that she wouldn't be coming back for the rest of the term. Yeah, right.

I was in for a rude shock on Monday. I was standing in the lunch line, when I looked towards their table, as was my habit by now, and stopped short, causing Mike to bump into me. I shuffled forward when he pushed me, but my eyes stayed glued to their group. There were five people. She was back.

Quietly taking my tray, I went to sit at my usual table with Mike, Jessica, Tyler, Lauren, Eric, Ben and Angela. It was a snow day and, looking over at the Cullen's, I saw them laughing together at some shared joke. Emmett and Jasper's hair were saturated with snow, and as I watched, Emmett shook his head in the direction of the girls, causing them to hold up their empty trays to protect themselves from the deluge. I looked away, wondering what they put in their water to look so inhumanly beautiful.

 _'Should I go to class? What if she's still upset?'_ I decided to risk it and waited till she left the table, before going over to class myself. When I walked in, she was doodling on the back page of her notebook. She didn't look up as I pulled the chair back, scraping it against the floor. She didn't say anything until I sat down, staring at my textbook while trying to ignore her as thoroughly as she was ignoring me.

"Hello," a low silky voice said. I looked up to see her turned towards me. Her hair was dripping wet with melted snow, but she somehow managed to look like a red-carpet model. She was smiling slightly, friendly and open, but her eyes were careful. "I'm so sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself last week; I'd been having a pretty bad day. I'm Isabella Hale. You're Edward Masen, aren't you?"

I could only nod as I looked at her. There was something different about her today. She looked less pale and the shadows under her eyes were less. Something else too, only I couldn't quite see it.

I decided to say something. "You were gone a whole week; where were you?" "Old friends in Port Angeles," she answered airily.

Mr. Banner came in and gave us the lab to do. Thankfully it was simple and I'd already done it in Phoenix. I gestured over to the girl beside me. "Ladies first, Isabella?" "Just Bella, please," she smiled, and took a look at the first slide. She identified it within a few seconds and quickly wrote it down in her notebook. Her handwriting was beautiful, neat and precise. Needless to say, we were the first ones to get all five slides done and after Mr. Banner corrected them, we started to talk.

"So, how are you liking Forks so far?" She ventured. I shrugged. "It's fine, just that it rains too often." "Why did you move here then?"

I gaped at her. No one has really asked me that outright, so why was she? Why was this amazing, extremely beautiful girl so interested in my life?

I realized that she was waiting for an answer. "My dad died 8 years ago. My mom grew lonely and she decided she wanted to move back here. The house we'd had here had been passed to Phil, my Mom's brother, so it's technically ours."

She nodded. Surprisingly, I couldn't see an ounce of pity or sympathy in her eyes; just understanding. I suppose that's to be expected, based on what Phil told me. As I watched her, I again recalled Mike's words from my first day: _She doesn't date._ Alright, I could take a shot.

"Hey is it true, all the rest of your siblings are coupled up?" I asked. She gave me a confused look. "Yes, they are. They truly make each other happy, and they're not related, so what's to stop them?"

"I'm not judging. I was just curious," I hurried to assure her. "So," I hesitated. "You're the only one whose boyfriend isn't a part of your family, then?" I crossed my fingers underneath the table, hoping she wouldn't see through my flirting. No such luck.

One corner of Bella's lips curled up in a cocky smirk. "Actually," she began. "I don't have a boyfriend." "Then that means you're free this weekend, right?"

Her smirk grew. "Yes, it does." Now I hesitated. She obviously knew where I was going with this. I decided I had nothing to lose. "Well, then..." _'Oh god, what do I do?'_ I was an expert with girls, so why was I so tongue-tied now? Bella saved me the effort, by laughing.

"You can turn off the charm, Edward. I'm immune." _'So much for not having anything to lose'_. I could feel my ears turn red. As if sensing my embarrassment, she gave me a smile, showing she was only teasing. I sighed in defeat, and just then, I noticed what was different about her.

"Did you get contacts?" I blurted. She looked at me with a small smile, like I was missing a joke. "No, why do you ask?" _'"Why do you ask?" Who says that anymore?'_ I thought.

"Your eyes look a bit different from last week," I said. She suddenly tensed. It was hardly noticeable, but I was paying too close attention to miss it. "You're probably mis-remembering," she lied smoothly.

I didn't say anything, and let it slide. But I knew I was right. Last Monday, her eyes had been coal black, starkly visible against her pale skin. Today, they were a lovely golden color, like a pool of honey, a color which I'd never seen any eyes of before, the same as her siblings. But why would she lie?

The next day, I was in way too much of a hurry to get to school and I knew exactly why that was so. I was just excited to see Bella again, which was really very stupid of me. There was no way in hell I had a chance with Bella. She'd proved that yesterday. Yet here I was, risking the iced-over road in the hopes of seeing her arrive.

I almost got my wish. When I stepped out of the car, Bella and her siblings were at the opposite end of the parking lot, walking towards the building. None of them saw me, so I took the chance to observe them again. As I watched them, the tiny one, Alice, grasped Jasper's hand, looking panicked and worried. She shared a look with Bella, who had the same horrified expression on her face. Simultaneously, they both turned in my direction, the others following their lead, and their gazes focused on something behind me. A screeching sound reached our ears, and the whole student body turned in its direction.

A small blue van had hit the ice wrong while turning the corner and the driver seemed to have lost control. Right now, it was veering off the road, and a small freshman girl was in its path, frozen in shock. Before anyone could react, something knocked the girl to the side and she toppled to the ground, hitting her head on the icy sidewalk. But the van seemed to have a mind of its own, as it tilted on its wheel. It was just about to crash down on the girl's feet, when there was a white blur and it changed course, falling to the other side instead.

I couldn't believe my eyes as I jogged over, a couple of other students following me. Everyone seemed to have processed the events that just took place and a few people were screaming for the teachers. But I only had eyes for the scene in front of me. Sandwiched between the van and a Corolla, lay the small girl, who looked to be fifteen, and Bella, looking completely calm and collected, as she attempted to soothe the girl. Her fingers gently probed the back of the girl's head.

"Calm down, Grace, you're fine," she cooed. "You've just got a little bump on the head. You're very lucky I pulled you away in time, you know." I stared at her before interrupting. "How did you get here so fast?" She shot me a puzzled look. "I was standing right beside her," she said, seemingly confused. But, she seemed too innocent, too sincere. And she'd lied to me yesterday as well.

"No you weren't, you-" she cut me off before I could finish. "Edward, I'll talk to you later. Right now, I need to take care of Grace, till the doctors arrive. She hit her head pretty hard." Looking at the whimpering girl, I reluctantly agreed that she was more important, and Bella had the best chances of knowing what to d o, seeing as she was top in biology, and her father was a doctor. Not to mention that the driver, Tyler Crowley, was still trapped inside the van. But just as the ambulance arrived, I noticed an oddly shaped dent on the side of the van; a dent which seemed to fit the contours of Bella's shoulders. It was as if she'd braced herself against the van, pushing it away. But that was impossible. Right? Bella stood up and stepped away as they took Grace away, reassuring the nurses that she was fine. She stood near the van, so I couldn't see the dent, locking her hands behind her back. When she moved away, I couldn't see the shape anymore. It just looked like any normal dent.

I could hardly wait for the scene to clear of the students and teachers. When it did, I quickly walked over to Bella, stopping her before she rejoined her siblings.

"How did you do that? You weren't standing anywhere near her, you were at the other end of the parking lot. There's no way you could've gotten to her that fast." I let it all out in one breath, and the look of stupefied incredulity on her face made me want to swallow my own words. "I was standing right next to her, Edward," she said softly.

I shook my head, too stubborn to let it go. She grew annoyed. "What exactly do you think happened then?" I took a careful, measured look at her pale, heart shaped face, her full, pink lips, and her captivating, honey eyes, framed by long dark lashes. How could this stunning girl be in the wrong? I was a fool for questioning- _'Focus, Edward!'_

I took a deep breath. "You were over at that end with your family. Alice looked panicked, then so did you. A second later, when Grace was going to be hit, you were suddenly there, knocking her out of the way. Then when it was going to fall on her legs, you stopped it." This was sounding more and more stupid. Bella looked at me doubtfully, like she was considering calling the ambulances back for me.

"You think I pushed a van off her?" When I nodded, she smirked. "No one would ever believe that, you know." "I wasn't going to tell anyone," I replied quietly.

She looked dumbfounded now. "Then why does it matter?" She cried out in frustration.

"Because you are a freaking mystery, and it's driving me crazy not knowing!" I replied in the same tone. She was now glaring at me, her eyes wide open and angry.

"Well then," she spoke scathingly. "I hope you enjoy disappointment." She turned on her heel and I watched her retreating back, rubbing one hand over the un-explainable, dull ache in my chest.

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 **Please tell me in your reviews if you have any suggestions, or something you want me to add. Thanks.**


	4. Hurting

**This chapter is a bit long, because it spans the family meeting, the month they ignore each other and the blood typing incident. However, since I want my human to be different from SM's human, Edward does not faint at the sight of blood and my Bella is definitely not as uptight as SM's Edward.**

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Ch. 4 - Hurting – BPOV

The feeling of dread grew in my chest, as we sat at the table for our family conference, waiting for Carlisle's verdict . I still couldn't believe I'd acted so rashly: running across several yards at vampire speed, then knocking the van out of the way, before the girl could be hurt. And to top it all off, Edward had seen everything. He had even confronted me about it. At least I had remembered to erase the indentation of my shoulders from the van.

Carlisle suddenly opened his mouth to speak. "Let's just wait and see if he talks. Bella seems pretty sure he won't," he looked over at me and when I nodded, continued. "So there's nothing much we can do right now."

Nobody argued. I could tell Jasper and Rosalie wanted to eliminate the threat, but that went against the nature of our family. For Rose, at least. Jasper too, but he was agreeing mostly because he didn't want to disappoint Alice and Carlisle.

Nevertheless, I decided to call him out on it. "You think we should kill him." It wasn't a question, and Jasper looked at me guiltily. "I am sorry, Bells. I just don't think we should risk it. We don't want the Volturi to come down on us. _'And I don't want Alice in any kind of danger.'_

I knew this of course, but I was also aware that, with his violent history, Jasper would enjoy killing Edward. But before I could point this out, Alice gasped, as her eyes slid out of focus. All of us watched her with some trepidation. When she spoke, it was to Jasper.

"Jaz you can't kill Edward." Jasper's eyes widened. Alice, being Alice, just kept talking. "He and you are going to be great friends someday. Brothers, even." She turned to Emmett. "You too, Em. Rose and I will get a new brother as well. Carlisle and Esme will get a new son."

She looked at me and showed me the vision. "We're all going to love him too, you know." "Love him, _too_?" I asked faintly. For the vision showed me something I never could have thought possible.

Edward and I sitting in a car, leaning against each other as we laughed, laying in a meadow, cuddling together on a bed, kissing in the rain... "No," I whispered.

Alice shook her head. "It's too late, Bella. You're already in way too deep."

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Emmett asked. Rosalie slapped him lightly. "Pay attention. Alice sees Bella falling for Edward." Her previous annoyance had given way to happiness, which was reflected in everyone's faces. Even Jasper looked pleased. Emmett barked a laugh. "Falling for a human? Tough break, Bells," he guffawed. But the sincere joy in his thoughts was clear.

I stared at him, still trying to process the visions. I went through them again and this time I noticed something different in the last one. There was a sparkling diamond on the third finger of my left hand, as I ran it through Edward's hair. Was it true then? Had I finally found my mate? I'd been alone for so long, with three perfectly matched couples, that it had become second nature to me.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice when everyone left. When I looked up, Jasper and I were the only ones left. "Carlisle said to give you some privacy."

He was scrutinizing me very carefully, testing my emotions. _'Disbelief, shock, joy, pain... Why pain? What's hurting you, Isa?'_ I turned to look up at him and whispered, "This can't work. He's human. I can't condemn him to this life."

His face scrunched up at the flurry of emotions in my chest. Then his eyes brightened with understanding, before they dimmed again. "You're going to stay away from him, am I right?" When I didn't answer, he sighed. "You're going to hurt him a lot. He's already grown a bit attached to you. Today, when you walked away from him, he could feel the pain of separation from a mate." _'Though I don't think he understood it'_.

Now that Jasper mentioned it, I had felt it as well, but had dismissed it as guilt. Now I looked him straight in the eye. "It's for his own good; even if he doesn't realize it."

As I made my decision, Alice groaned in frustration from her room, the future dissolving into a blurred haze, and I read a stray thought from Jasper, one he tried to hide: _'I'm not so sure'_.

* * *

The next month was full of pain. The day after the incident, Edward came to talk to me in biology.

"Hi Bella," he said quietly. Fighting the urge to respond, I only turned my head slightly in his direction and nodded. Neither of us spoke after that. Everyday, the pain grew, as the vampire in me desired to hold him to myself. But I restrained myself from even looking at him with my own eyes, relying on my extra sense instead.

I briefly considered going back to the Denalis. After all, the two sisters, Irina and Kate, their brother , Terrance, Carmen and her mate, Eleazar would welcome me with open arms. But the thought of Terrance's constant attempts at seducing me was enough to keep me where I was. Soon enough, the girl's choice spring dance came around. During lunch one day, I overheard Jessica's thoughts and immediately went into a frenzy.

 _'I think I'll ask Edward to the dance during Biology class; he looks a bit distracted right now. I hope he says yes to me. Oh who am I kidding? Of course, he'll say yes to me!'_

I felt a hand on my shoulder and realized I had been trembling. Jasper's touch calmed me down and I found that I could put a name to the white hot fury building in my chest. _Jealousy._ I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't ignore him any longer. Sitting across from me, Alice squealed in delight as she saw a vision to her liking. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper could guess the reason behind her excitement and smiled at me. Their thoughts reflected nothing but happiness and encouragement.

* * *

I waited for Edward to arrive in class. When he did he was accompanied by Jessica. As usual, while the class waited for Mr. Banner to arrive, Jessica sat on the desk talking to Edward. He never gave any indication that this annoyed him, but I knew it did. I had an empath for a brother after all.

"So," Jessica began. Edward waited for her to speak, while I prepared myself for what I knew was going to happen. "The spring dance is next Saturday. It's girl's choice."

Edward shrugged casually, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. It was a wonder Jessica couldn't, since I was watching him from her eyes.

Jessica went on. "Do you have a date yet?" Edward shook his head. "What about you?" Jessica gave a smile. "I was wondering if you would like to go with me." _'Come on, say yes. We both know you want to.'_ I was going to commit a murder if she didn't control her thoughts.

"Actually no Jess, I'm sorry." Edward gave an apologetic smile. Jessica choked. "No?!" She asked, then quickly recovered herself. "I mean, okay. Are you going with somebody else?"

Her tone was pleasant, but her thoughts were the most vile I had ever heard from her. _'Is he going with_ her _? That Hale freak?'_ That was interesting. I hadn't known that she saw me as competition. I wondered if Edward noticed the way Jessica's eyes flickered in my direction. He didn't seem to, because I felt his own gaze land on me just a second, before going back to her.

"No, Jess, I'm going to Seattle that weekend," he replied. Jessica's disappointment rolled off her in waves, as she asked if he could go some other weekend. When he answered in the negative, she said, "Okay, no problem. Maybe I'll ask Mike." She mumbled the last bit to herself as she returned to her table, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

I couldn't take it anymore. For the first time in a month, I turned to look at Edward myself, and lightly gasped in sharp relief.

His hands were in his hair, his long fingers tugging lightly at his bronze curls and his dark green eyes swimming with guilt. As if he felt my stare, he suddenly turned to look at me. For some time, we kept looking at each other, both waiting for the other to say something. Neither of us noticed Mr. Banner's arrival until he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. He quietly sighed when I reluctantly turned away.

As soon as class ended, I turned to him, as he was packing his bag. "Edward," I called quietly. He started, looking down at me with a bewildered expression. I took a deep breath. "Edward, I'm sorry."

Immediately, his eyes narrowed. "Took you long enough to realize that." I felt a spasm of pain at his sharp words, but I could see how much it hurt him to say that. How much _I_ had hurt him. "You're right," I agreed. "That does not mean it's not true."

I waited for him to finish putting away his books, before following him out of the class. "Why?" He asked quietly. "I am not a good friend for you, Edward." He frowned at my words and my sad tone. "What changed?" He asked sullenly. I shook my head. "Nothing. I'm just not quite so strong as to keep my distance anymore." _'Or to watch the other girls flirting with you and not do anything about it'_ , I added mentally.

"Then don't," Edward muttered. I smiled to myself. Jasper had been right; he'd grown attached to me. But I wasn't sure if he'd meant for me to hear him, so I kept silent.

We walked in silence for some time, until I passed Alice's class. _'Bella, Jaz is in the forest. He needs you'_. Her thoughts were worried and saddened. _'I'd go myself, but I saw that I'd only make him feel worse. Please go to him'_. Without a second thought, I turned quietly and headed towards the forest. Edward didn't even notice me melt into the crowd, as I caught Jasper's familiar scent of sweet hay and desert wildflowers.

* * *

I found him in the forest, sitting on a wide rock near a stream. I took a seat beside him and he thought, _'I could have killed that girl today, Bella'_.

"But you did not." I decided this wasn't a good time to tell him how close a call it had been, when he had fantasized about drinking from a human in history class. He was upset enough already. The fact that he didn't call me 'Isa', as only he was allowed to, was proof of this. So instead, I decided to show him how much I trusted him.

"Can you come with me somewhere tonight? I might need you to restrain me in case I lose control." I didn't give him a chance to respond or ask where we would go before dragging him back to the school.

That night, around midnight, after earning an approving glance from Alice and questioning ones from everyone else, Jasper and I found ourselves in a room on the second floor of a house. Edward's room.

Both Jaz and I held our breaths as we stood near the window, until I slowly drew a breath in. The fire in my throat burned, when I felt a warning hand on my shoulder. I realized I'd begun walking towards the bed where Edward lay. I looked at Jasper apologetically before taking another breath. This time, I actually concentrated on the scent. It was delicious. A mix of honey, lilacs and sunshine.

Edward rolled over and mumbled in his sleep. "Bella," he sighed. As my name slipped from his lips, a small fire ignited within my chest. "Don't go," he breathed. The fire grew into a blazing inferno and spread through my body, lighting every part of me. Beside me, Jasper shifted at the sudden flood of emotions. "Stay Bella, please," Edward pleaded. With those words, I felt a deep, pure love settle into every portion of my stone body. And I knew that, for the rest of my existence, I would love only this one green-eyed human boy.

 _'Yes!'_ Jasper crowed in his head. _'Alice is going to flip. Isa, you're in love!'_ And he was right.

* * *

The next morning, I waited by my car for Edward to arrive, while my siblings went on to their classes, Emmett winking at me suggestively, Alice bouncing on her heels, Rosalie trying to contain both of them half-heartedly and Jasper basking in their reflected happiness. When Edward arrived, I sidled up next to him and startled him. "Good morning". "Mornin'," he replied, then turned to glare at me. "Thanks for vanishing on me yesterday." I shrugged helplessly. "Something came up." "Yeah, well, right after your little disappearing act, Lauren Mallory ambushed me to ask me to the spring dance and I had to reject her too."

I just could not help it; his face was comically devastated and I burst out laughing. When I got a handle on myself, Edward was staring at me wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open. _'Be careful with that smile of yours, Belly-bear. You're driving the poor guy out of his mind'_ , Emmett thought, snickering as he enjoyed the show. Immediately, I schooled my expression and waved goodbye to Edward, before joining my siblings.

The day passed slowly. In Biology, as I waited eagerly for Edward, a tune began to form in my head. I tried humming it aloud, and it developed into a new melody. It had been ages since I composed a new song.

Edward joined me a few minutes later. As we sat together in a comfortable silence, I suddenly remembered what we were supposed to be doing: blood typing. That would not be a very good idea with a vampire in class. As much as I loved him, I was sure I would not be able to restrain myself, if Edward's blood was spilt. But I did not want to lose this hour with him by bunking as my siblings and I usually did.

So, I waited until Mr. Banner started instructing us before turning to Edward and whispering, "How do you feel about ditching class with me?" He looked at me in shock, while I waited for an answer. He quickly nodded and I winked at him. "Play along." I stood up and lied calmly, "Mr. Banner, Edward isn't feeling too well. May I take him to the nurse, please?" He frowned, looking at Edward, who was looking slightly nauseated. He nodded his assent and Edward and I made our way out, pretending he needed my support, though I was careful to only touch his clothes, so he wouldn't feel the frigid temperature of my skin.

The nurse, after some persuasion, excused both of us from classes, when I told her I would drop Edward home then come back for his car and my siblings.

Once we were in the car, Edward asked me, "Are you coming to the beach this weekend?" Mike and Jessica had organized a trip to La Push beach this Saturday with a group of students from our class, when it would be a bit sunny. As much as I wished to go, it would be impossible for me; not just because of my vampire skin, but because of the treaty we had made with the Quileute Indian tribe that lived there. I shook my head. "I'm quite sure I was not invited." "I just invited you," Edward muttered. I smirked at his disgruntled tone. "Let's you and I not push poor Jessica any further this week. She already hates me because she thinks we're dating in secret. I would hate for her to snap."

He smiled slightly; not questioning what I let slip about Jessica's jealousy, then pursed his lips. I could sense his displeasure at my answer. "I'm going to start the weekend early with Emmett anyhow. We're going camping on Mt. Rainier. Sorry," I added. He didn't say anything, but looked to be deep in thought. We had already reached his house and were just sitting in the car, with the rain pouring down on us from above.

"Phil told me about your family. Do you remember your parents?" He suddenly asked. I decided to answer in a way that would not be a lie but would also work with the public story we had concocted for the humans. "Not much, they died very long ago. Carlisle and Esme are my parents now and I love them." "What about your siblings?" His question reminded me of the time and I glanced at the dashboard. "My siblings, including Emmett and Alice, are going to be quite annoyed with me if I leave them waiting in the rain for me."

He blushed slightly and with a last glance and crooked smile, he made his towards his house, while I smiled and drove back to school, my right hand clenched around the car keys I had just picked from Edward's jacket pocket.

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 **Next chapter will introduce my version of Jacob Black. He will be present as a character, of course, but his place as competition to the vampire will be taken by someone else. Sorry if that's confusing; you'll find out next time. Till then, please review.**


	5. The Cold Ones

**Let's see how many of you guessed the new character I'm going to introduce in this chapter. ;) Also, most of the dialogue and narration in this chapter belongs to SM's Twilight (Chapter: Scary Stories)**

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Ch. 5- The Cold Ones – EPOV

I sighed as I drove towards Newton Outfitters, the sporting goods store owned by Mike's family. It had hardly been two days since I'd last seen Bella, and though she'd told me she wouldn't be there, I couldn't help but hope that she would miraculously turn up. I'd been disappointed yesterday morning, when only Jasper, Alice and Rosalie had turned up. I hadn't really been surprised when Bella had ignored me the day after the accident. After all, the way I'd called her _'a freaking mystery'_ , I'd made her sound like a science experiment. Still, I hadn't expected her behavior to persist for a _month_.

"Edward, you came!" Jessica was positively glowing. "Are you coming with me in my car or Lee's mom's minivan?" "I'll come with you," I smiled and she beamed at me. It was really easy to keep Jessica happy. "You can ride shotgun," she promised and I internally cringed, as I felt Mike's glare on my back. Keeping both of them happy at the same time? Not so easy. Thankfully, Lee had brought two extra people with him, so every seat became necessary. I managed to squeeze Mike up front between me and Jess. Mike was relatively pleased, though Jess could have been a bit more graceful about it. I still felt guilty for having turned her down for the spring dance and lying to her about the reason. But something in me was reluctant to say 'yes' and I had a bad feeling it had to do with a certain someone with honey-eyes. Still, I felt relieved that Jessica and Lauren had asked Mike and Taylor out, though Taylor seemed to be nursing some animosity towards me.

The day at the beach did help some, at least while we were trekking through the woods to check out the tide pools. The green canopy above our heads and the vibrant sea life in the pools were enough to keep me distracted for the better part of the day. But in the evening, as we sat around a blue-green driftwood fire, all I could think about was Bella: her melodious laughter at my expense, her hypnotic eyes rendering me dazed, her small, nimble fingers tapping on the steering wheel, as we sat in her car in front of my house. I sighed again.

"Edward Masen?" I heard a girl's voice ask. I looked up to see a girl, maybe fifteen, with long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of her neck. Her skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; her eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of her cheekbones and twinkling like gems. She still had just a hint of childish roundness left around her chin. Altogether, a very pretty face. She was obviously one of the Indians who lived on the reservation. I looked around and saw many more of them milling around with my classmates.

"Yes," I said, smiling crookedly at her. She sat down on the log beside me and offered me her hand. "I'm Rebecca Black, or Becca. Our moms used to be friends when your parents still lived here." "Billy's daughter," I realized. My mom had told me about her family. "Don't you have two siblings?" I asked. "Rachel and Jacob; Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State. Jake's over there." She nodded towards a group of teenagers a little way off, tending to the fire. I turned back to look at her and noticed her eyes raking over my form appreciatively, in a way that was only too familiar to me. I could sense the beginnings of a crush.

"Hey, Edward," I heard Taylor call, his voice dripping with malice. "It's a pity the Cullens couldn't come, isn't it? Didn't anyone think to invite them?" The sarcasm etched on his face irked me and I wanted to hit something (translation: I wanted to hit _him_ ), but before I could react, one of the boys from the group Rebecca had pointed out to me looked up at him with interest. "You mean Dr. Cullen's family?" "Yes, do you know them?" Taylor asked sharply, annoyed at having been interrupted. The boy stared at him for a few seconds before answering, "The Cullens don't come here." His tone ended the conversation.

I turned his words over in my head. They were simple enough, but the way he said them made it sound as if the Cullens weren't _supposed_ to come, like they were prohibited. I looked over to Rebecca, a plan forming in my head. If she had a crush on me, maybe I could use that to my advantage.

"Do you want to walk down the beach with me?" I asked, fixing my eyes on her. She jumped up eagerly and I felt some guilt at using her. As we walked, the sky darkened and I shoved my hands into my pockets at the drop in temperature. "So you're, what, sixteen?" I asked. "I just turned fifteen," she confessed, flattered. "Really?" My face was full of false surprise. "I would have thought you were older." "I'm tall for my age," she explained.

After some more mindless chatter, I got to my point. "Who's that boy Taylor was talking to?" "That's my brother, Jacob- he has a talent for building cars. I actually picked up a lot of stuff from him," she informed me. "What was that he was saying about the doctor's family?" I asked innocently. "The Cullens? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation." She looked away, confirming what I'd thought I'd heard in Jake's voice.

"Why not?" I asked. She glanced back at me, biting his lip. "Oops. I'm not supposed to say anything about that." "Oh, I won't tell anyone, I'm just curious." I made my smile alluring, wondering if I was laying it on too thick in my eagerness. She smiled back, though, and I knew I had her.

"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from - the Quileutes, I mean?" She began. "Not really," I admitted. Rebecca strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots sticking out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. She perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath her on the body of the tree. She stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of her broad lips. I could see she was going to try to make this good. I focused on keeping the vital interest I felt out of my eyes.

"First of all, it is said that my people were descended from wolves. Many of our earliest ancestors could turn into wolf at will. Then, there are lots of legends about the cold ones." Her voice dropped a little lower, sounding huskier than before. "The cold ones?" I asked, not faking my intrigue now. "Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather, Ephraim Black, knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." She rolled her eyes. "Your great-grandfather?" I encouraged.

"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf-well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into people, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves." "Werewolves have enemies?" "Only one." I stared at her earnestly, hoping to disguise my impatience as admiration.

"So you see," Becca continued, "the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did - they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to you pale-faces." She winked at me. "If they weren't dangerous, then why... ?" I tried to understand, struggling not to let her see how seriously I was considering this story.

"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist." She deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into her tone. My attention caught on one word. "What do you mean, 'civilized'?" "They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead." I tried to keep my voice casual. "So how does it fit in with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your great-grandfather met?"

"No." She paused dramatically. "They are the same ones." She smiled and continued. "There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before your people had even arrived." "And what are they?" I finally asked. "What are the cold ones?" She smiled darkly. "Blood drinkers," she replied in a chilling voice. "Your people call them vampires."

I stared out at the rough surf after she answered, not sure what my face was exposing. "Pretty crazy stuff, isn't it? No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it to anyone." I couldn't control my expression enough to look at her yet. "Don't worry, I won't give you away." "I guess I just violated the treaty," she laughed. "I'll take it to the grave," I promised, and then I shivered.

* * *

I found myself in a forest, the darkness seeming to weigh on my shoulders. In the distance, I could hear the ocean.

"Edward," a soft, familiar voice said. I whirled around and stumbled back in surprise at what I saw. Bella was standing among the trees, her pale arms and neck at contrast with a floor-length crimson dress, her marble skin seeming to glow slightly in the darkness. I looked at her face and my eyes widened. The lovely golden color of her eyes had given way to a vivid red that matched her dress exactly. I looked closer and noticed that her lips appeared to be covered in a thin coating of what looked disturbingly like blood. "Come with me," she murmured, her voice soft and alluring.

Then, I felt a tug on my sleeve. Turning, I saw Rebecca pulling on my arms, a frightened look on her face as she glanced at Bella. "Edward, we've got to get out of here, please, hurry," she begged. I looked back at Bella, who held out a hand to me. "Trust me, Edward," she purred and smiled, her teeth gleaming white. I saw with a jolt that they were sharper and longer than was normal; like fangs. Yet, almost in a trance, I took a step towards her.

"Edward!" Rebecca screamed and fell to the ground, writhing, her face contorted in rage. "Becca!" I cried. But she was no longer there. In her place was a large wolf, with long, cream-colored fur. The she-wolf growled at Bella, who just kept smiling. The wolf crouched and before I could say anything to stop it, it pounced towards Bella, aiming straight for the jugular. "No!" I screamed and jolted upright in bed, shivering.

The dream had been too real. I sat in bed, panting, wiping the sweat from my forehead. Why was I so affected by Rebecca's story? Surely I didn't believe it.

A thought occurred to me. Vampires were said to be inhumanly fast and strong. I remembered the way Bella had just appeared next to Grace; the dent on the van that had been shaped like her shoulders; the way she'd just materialized next to me that morning; how she'd simply vanished from my side.

I kept thinking about all I knew about vampires from numerous books and movies and compared them to Bella and the rest of the Cullens. Vampires had red eyes; theirs were black and gold. Vampires were immortal; I recalled how Bella spoke with uncommonly perfect enunciation and unfamiliar cadences. _'Why do you ask?'_ , _'Let's you and I…'_ , _'They're going to be quite annoyed…'_. And how had she known that Jessica thought we were dating? She'd never given any indication of that. Surely vampires couldn't read minds? And no wonder, she couldn't come to the beach. Treaty apart, the sun would probably have burnt her.

I leaned forward and rested my head on my knees. I couldn't believe I was actually taking this seriously, but I was. Everything just fit too well to be a coincidence. I went through the tell-tale signs again: pale skin (which I had no idea of knowing was cold and hard or not), eyes that changed color, old-fashioned way of speaking, mind reading, very fast and very strong. To sum it up: very dangerous. I should really keep my distance from her.

 _'But she saved the girl. She risked getting caught by crossing the parking lot so fast'_. So fast that it could have been reflexes. _'But if it's a reflex to save lives, how bad can she be?'_ And hadn't Rebecca been clear that they only drank from animals, not humans? I was arguing with myself, but I knew which side had already won. I was way too interested in this girl to just turn my back on her; even if she was dangerous and capable of killing me. Even in my dream, I hadn't screamed in fear for the wolf/Rebecca, but for the vampire.

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 **So, how did you guys find Rebecca? Tell me in your reviews please.**


	6. Worried And Annoyed

**How did you guys find Rebecca? I had no idea what to do for her, since SM doesn't tell us much about her. So, I'm going to make her character a lot like Jacob in Twilight.**

 **Also, I don't own Twilight.**

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Ch. 6- Worried and Annoyed- BPOV

I sat at the piano, caressing the ivory and black keys as I turned the melody I had thought of earlier in my head. I hesitantly pressed the keys and, as the first notes rang out, everyone in the house stopped what they were doing to listen and the flurry of thoughts in my head sharpened.

 _'Bella's composing again? Finally!'_ (Rosalie)

 _'She hasn't touched that piano once in the last two years. I bet this is because of that Masen boy. He seems really good for her.'_ (Emmett)

 _'A new song? I can't believe it; I knew Edward would change her, but even I didn't know how much.'_ (Alice)

 _'It's about time. The last time she composed was 10 years ago, on Alice and mine 25_ _th_ _anniversary.'_ (Jasper)

 _'Finally. It's been too long since she played. Much too long.'_ (Esme)

 _'She looks so peaceful. I haven't seen her look this relaxed and happy since Emmett found Rosalie. She's always been too alone.'_ (Carlisle)

It had been such a long time since I'd played and even longer since I'd composed. I could hear my family gather around behind me, but I ignored them and continued to play. The tune was beautiful, but somehow haunting, like it had a secret sorrow of its own. My fingers seemed to move ahead of my brain and I let the music take over, allowing it to take whatever form it would. When the song drifted naturally to an end, Esme asked softly, "That was beautiful. What's it about?"

I smiled at her. She knew I never composed on a whim; every song had its own purpose. I tilted my head to the side, considering her question. "It's a lullaby, I suppose," I decided. Edward's lullaby. She nodded and didn't say anything. Then Rosalie came up to sit next to me and together we played Esme's favorite, one I'd composed as a tribute to her and Carlisle's love for each other. Alice joined in, singing wordlessly, her voice going a note higher than the piano. As soon as the soulful number was over, we moved to high-energy, dance numbers.

The next thing I knew, Jasper had lifted me from the piano and started twirling me around in an exaggerated waltz. Emmett took hold of Esme, while Carlisle offered a hand to Alice, leaving Rose, who didn't much enjoy dancing, to keep playing. The whole evening was spent the same way, laughing and dancing, occasionally changing partners. For the first time in a long time, I felt happy and found myself free of any worries.

That night, while I was waiting for Emmett to finish saying goodbye to Rose so we could leave, I found myself locked in Carlisle's arms on the couch. Jasper and Alice had retreated to their bedroom and Esme had gone out shopping for her charity work. I snuggled into my father's chest. As if he sensed my worries, he tightened his hold on me. "Everything will be alright, Bella. You'll see. Everything will eventually work out for the best," he said in my ear. "I hope you're right," I whispered back.

Emmett came bouncing back down the stairs. "Bells, let's go. I'm ready," he hollered. I gave Carlisle one last squeeze and said, "I love you, Dad. Bye." We rarely called him and Esme 'Dad' and 'Mom', so I couldn't help but smile at the surprised delight in his thoughts as I slipped away from his grasp and out the door after Emmett.

* * *

Emmett snarled at me, his predatory instincts overriding his humane ones and viewing me as a potential threat. I turned my palms up placatingly and sat down on a log to wait for him to finish his hunt. He finished the bear off quickly, surprising me that he did not wrestle with it like he always did. Then I saw his condition. His shirt had a wide gash right down the middle and his sleeves were torn, as were the knees of his jeans. He obviously had been playing with it just till I arrived. I looked up and saw he was eyeing me speculatively. "Look at you, you're neat as a pin," he said. "Didn't you manage to catch that mountain lion?" I smoothed my clothes smugly, which were still in pristine conditions. "Of course I did," I smirked. "I just do not feel the need to eat like a savage. Besides, did Esme not teach you to not play with your food?"

He rolled his eyes at me. _'Insufferable know-it-all,'_ he grumbled mentally and sat down next to me. _'You're stressing out, little sis'. Everything okay?'_ I nodded halfway, then quickly shook my head. _'Edward?'_ he guessed accurately. When I didn't answer, he sighed. "I'm sure he's just fine, Bells. He lives in Forks. What could happen?" "Oh, I don't know Em," I said. "I just feel miserable when I am not around him."

"Jeez, you've got it bad," he snickered. I glowered at him. "Like you're any better about Rosalie. I can hear your thoughts; I know how eager you are to get back to her. _I'm_ just worried about him, okay?" He raised his eyebrows. _'And I'm getting annoyed with you'._

"Well what do you want to do? Wrestle?" At my words, he got up, brushed his clothes and settled into a crouch. "Bring it on, Professor X," he snarled playfully. I laughed and imitated his position, getting ready for the fight. Emmett was stronger than the average vampire, but he had yet to beat me in a fight. My small size and speed were just as advantageous as hearing his thoughts. Jasper and Alice were the only ones who could hold their own against me. So, it only took me a few minutes to have him pinned against a tree.

"Cheat," he growled. I patted his shoulder comfortingly. "There's no need to be such a sore loser, Em," I said mockingly, drawing another growl from him. I laughed again and began packing up the props we brought in case we ran into humans. "Let's go, we told the others we would be back by tomorrow morning."

While Emmett drove, I let my mind wander. As was usual nowadays, it turned back to Edward. I wondered how his day at the beach had gone, if he had enjoyed himself and if he had thought about me even a fraction of how much I had thought about him.

We did not arrive home till early next morning and I jumped out of the car, eager to get to school. "No can do, miss," came a southern drawl from behind me. I jumped and turned around to see Jasper and Alice emerging from the trees. He must have felt my eagerness and guessed the reason behind it. In my hurry, I hadn't heard them approach. "Oh wow, you managed to catch the mind-reader off guard, Jaz, very good!" Emmett smirked. I ignored them and focused on what Jasper had said instead. "What did you mean 'no can do'?"

Alice answered for him. "It's going to be sunny today and tomorrow. We can't go to school till Wednesday." I stared at her and bit my lips, a habit Carlisle had told me I had had even when I was human. "Alright, I guess I will go visit him at night again," I decided. All three of them stared at me, not quite able to wrap the idea around their heads that I would be sneaking into a _boy's_ room at night, through the window, no less. But I couldn't help it. I knew it was wrong, but I had not seen him for three days and I could not wait anymore.

So that night, I once more found myself in Edward's room, this time without anyone to hold me back. My mind raced as I watched him sleep fitfully. I could move closer to him, if I so wanted. But I knew that the more I gave in to my temptation, the more it would grow. If I got that near him, I would want to touch him; if I touched him, I would want to try and wake him. Although, my cold touch would probably wake him up anyway. So I settled with occupying the rocking chair in the corner of the room and listened to his mutterings. "Cut it out, Mom. I'm not going to ask her out," he muttered once. Some of his ramblings were hilarious and I had to cover my mouth to stifle my giggles. More than once, he said my name, begging me to stay and not leave him.

Finally, around dawn, I heard someone in the house wake and start moving around. I didn't wait to find out who it was before, with a last wistful glance towards Edward, I leapt out the window. Back home, Alice was waiting for me. She was wringing her hands as she paced the front yard of the house. _'Why would she do that? She can't do that, she just can't.'_ I frowned at her worried ramblings. She looked up at me as I stopped in front of her, her big eyes swimming with concern. Then, she showed me the vision.

 _I crouched slightly, growling menacingly at a group of four men, all of whom seemed to be slightly drunk. The alley was completely deserted, so there was no one around to stop me. The men were unable to take their eyes off me. Even in their drunken stupor, they recognized me for what I was: danger. "_ You will regret this night _," I growled._

 _Then, without warning, I pounced on the one nearest to me and, in the blink of an eye, snapped his neck. Before he fully crumpled to the ground, I killed the next man and within a minute, all four of them were lying on the ground, dead. I turned to leave, but I had made a mistake. One of the men was bleeding. The blood was still warm and as I caught the scent, I lost all sense of who I was. Kneeling beside the body, I lifted his head and, bringing my lips to his throat, began to feed._

"No," I gasped. Alice just looked sad. "I'm sorry, I can't see anything before or after that." "When will it happen, Alice?" I tried to keep my voice from shaking. Alice only shook her head. "I'm not sure, but probably in the next few days." I nodded, my jaw set. I was determined to change the vision. Little did I know that it was to come true just the next night.

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 **I know this chapter is a bit small, but I needed a buffer between the last one and the next. Anyway, please read and review. :)**


	7. Port Angeles

**Okay. so we're at the Port Angles scene. Bella's reactions are a bit different from both SM's Edward and Edythe Cullen. Hope you enjoy. Also, please tell me in your reviews, whether this story should have a Life and Death ending or a Twilight ending. Personally, I'd like to go with the latter, as that way, I can re-write all the four books in this manner.**

 **For the record, I don't own Twilight.**

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Ch. 7- Port Angeles- EPOV

It was Tuesday and Bella still hadn't shown up. Her brother, Emmett, hadn't either. The other three siblings had been missing since yesterday, too. To make matters worse, Jessica had asked me out on a date yesterday. "Look Jess, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Mike really likes you and he's my friend," I'd told her. "So, I really don't think I should go out with you." She'd blinked at me several times, before finally understanding that I had no interest in her that way. She'd taken my advice and had asked Mike out instead. He'd agreed, of course, and had spent a good part of today's lunch regaling me with every intimate detail of their dinner. When he told me they'd made it to first base last night, I congratulated him, hoping that he'd finally leave me alone. He hadn't, but just then Angela, one of the few people in this place who I genuinely like, took pity on me and sent her boyfriend, Ben, to rescue me.

"Edward, where're you going?" My Mom asked, seeing me dressed. "Some guys from my class and I are going out to watch a movie in Port Angeles; is that okay?" I knew it would be, but I always asked her out of courtesy. She nodded, saying, "Of course, you need to get out more anyways." She thought for a moment, then said, "Could you just return these books to the library there for me? I meant to go myself, but…" she shrugged and held out two books to me. I took them and waved goodbye, before dashing out the front door, where Mike, Ben and Eric were already waiting for me in Mike's car. Tyler had bailed out last minute, so I was grateful that I wouldn't have to deal with his snide comments.

As we drove out of town, Mike turned the music up and soon, we were all shouting out the lyrics of the songs. It had been a while since I'd had a night out like this and the feeling was invigorating. We reached a lot earlier than planned and, as there was still some time before the movie started, we decided to just roam around. Mike took this opportunity to ask us about the girls we liked, much to my annoyance. Ben, luckily, already had a girlfriend and Eric wasn't interested in anyone yet, so that left Mike to turn to me. When I struggled with a response, Ben saved me again by pointing out that they needed to get something for their dates to the spring dance.

While they were shopping for the girls, I kept up a steady flow of suggestions and comments. At one point, when Mike and Eric weren't paying attention, I got the nerve to ask Ben something that had been praying on my mind for two days. "Hey, Ben." He looked at me, his eyebrows raised at the confidential tone of my voice. "Is it usual for the Cullens to disappear every now and then?" "Yes," he whispered back. "Every time the weather's nice, Dr. Cullen pulls them out and the whole family goes backpacking. They're all real outdoorsy." He didn't ask me any questions and I was grateful. But his response only added fuel to the theories that had been pounding inside my head since we'd gotten back from the beach. If the Cullens and Hales were all vampires, they couldn't be out on sunny days.

* * *

I stepped out of the small library and glanced at my watch, before starting towards the theatre. I'd convinced the others to let me go alone and that I'd meet up with them at the movies. After wandering the streets for nearly an hour, I realized I was lost. I'd wandered into some small alley and there weren't many people about. A small feeling spread through my stomach as I realized I'd forgotten my phone in Mike's car. My eyes fell upon two men heading in my direction, swaying slightly, indicating they were drunk. Hurriedly, I turned around and started walking away from them. But two other men appeared, blocking me from moving any further. In a few seconds, I was surrounded.

"Let me go, please," I said quietly, trying to keep my voice from shaking as badly as my knees. One of the men laughed. "Well, look at that, folks. Fella's actually trying to tell us what to do." They burst into raucous laughter and my fear increased. My eyes darted around, trying to find a means of escape. They were all high and I had no doubt I could outrun them. But how to break free? The man who'd spoken fingered something at his waist and in the dim light from the distant street lamps, I saw the shine of metal: a gun. I swallowed heavily. The only people nearby were too far away to hear the commotion and these men would probably just shoot me if I tried to make noise anyways. As I considered taking the risk of running, a sudden screech sounded and all five of us jumped.

A dark blue car skidded to a stop in front of me and a small figure jumped out. It was too dark for me to see the face, but when a familiar voice hissed, "Get in the car," my heart leapt. Small hands grabbed my jacket and lightly pushed me in the car. "Keep your head down and don't look up." I did as she said; there was simply no question of disobeying that voice. But I couldn't stop the sounds from reaching my ears: a growl, a snarl, some words spoken too low for me to hear, several thuds and then a door opening. I didn't open my eyes till I felt the car start. When I looked up, I saw Bella at the wheel; her hands clenched tightly as she gripped the steering wheel, her forehead scrunched up and her mouth set. She looked similar to the way she'd been that first day in Biology. I couldn't see the color of her eyes, but I could tell they were narrowed in anger.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly. She didn't answer, but stopped the car. I looked around to see we were at the theatre, but the movie was over. "Go stop your friends. If they run into those men again, I don't think I can stop myself from doing worse than what I did." Her voice drifted off at the end and I shuddered to think what those thuds I'd heard meant. She obviously hadn't killed them or drunk their blood.

I stepped out of the car. "Guys, wait up," I yelled. All three of them turned sharply at my voice and ran over to me. Their voices overlapped one another as they asked me questions, until Bella, who was standing by the car quietly, cleared her throat. They froze, staring at her. "Edward here had the brilliant idea of getting lost on the way. Luckily I ran into him and we started talking. I'm sorry we lost track of time." She smiled at them, as they just gaped at her. Obviously, they'd never been at the receiving end of her hypnotizing glance. Still, I couldn't help feel slightly jealous that she was smiling at _them_ that way, when she hadn't even looked at me once.

"Neither of us have had anything to eat yet, so would it be okay if I joined you for dinner?" Mike stuttered. "Yeah sure, no problem…" Ben cut in. "Actually, we've already had dinner." He seemed to be faring better than the other two, who were still gaping at the beauty beside me, but even he seemed to be having some trouble with remembering to close his mouth. "That's alright. I can drive him home myself."

Ben turned to me, as if trying to see what I wanted. When I winked at him, he got my hint and with a last look towards Bella, dragged Mike and Eric towards their car, while Bella and I got into hers.

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"Good evening, ma'am, how may I help you?" Was it my imagination, or was that waiter staring at Bella a bit more than necessary? He'd hardly glanced at me, like I wasn't even there. Bella smiled at him and gestured towards me. He reluctantly turned to me while I ordered the first thing off the menu. "Is there anything else I can get you ma'am?" Was I just imagining the double meaning of his words? Bella looked up at him again. "No thank you, just a little privacy, please." The waiter didn't even have time to look disappointed before she smiled at him again and his eyes went slightly blank, as he stumbled away.

I frowned at the girl sitting across from me. "You really shouldn't do that to people. It's not fair." She blinked at me in confusion. "You know, dazzle them like that," I elaborated. "I dazzle people?" she asked me. "Oh come on," I rolled my eyes. "You've got to know the effect you have on people. Not everyone gets their way so easily." She didn't seem to be listening as she mused, "You may be right; I guess it's possible." Her eyes snapped to mine. "Do I dazzle you?" I looked away and mumbled, "Frequently." When I looked back, she looked pleased with herself. I looked over her form and noticed, for the first time, what she was wearing. She had a deep blue, slightly deep-necked blouse, black jeans that may have just been painted on her and her wavy hair was pulled back, as usual, by a hair band that matched her top. "That color looks good with your skin," I offered, gesturing at her blouse. Her gaze flickered down and she smiled in thanks. That was when I saw she wasn't wearing anything over it. "Don't you have a jacket?" I asked, already shrugging mine off. She started to protest, but I ignored her and she slipped it on reluctantly. If my theories were right, she probably didn't even feel the cold, but my mother had drilled it into my head to be a gentleman. I suddenly felt an urge to tell her everything, just for some kind of closure.

"I met Rebecca Black last weekend." She looked up at me in confusion, as she tried to place the name. "Her great-grandfather was Ephraim Black, one of the tribal elders," I supplied. Immediately, the confusion cleared, replaced by an odd fear. I went on. "She told me some old legends about the Quileutes and some treaty with your family." Her shoulders were becoming more tense with every word I spoke. "She told me about the Cold Ones," I finished softly. She looked up at me, her face carefully blank. "That must have made for an interesting chat, yes?" her voice was cold, emotionless. "I know what you are," I said quietly.

Something flickered in her face, regret maybe, before her entire façade broke apart. "Please don't say the word," she whispered and my heart broke at the devastated look on her face. Our order appeared but both of us ignored it, until Bella looked at me pointedly. I put a spoonful in my mouth, swallowed, then said, "You can read minds, can't you?" She looked up at me, still surprised. I continued. "That's how you knew about Jessica being jealous. That's how you found me tonight." She nodded and a new thought occurred to me. "Have you been reading my mind all this time?" I gasped; horrified that she knew exactly what and how often I thought of her. To my relief, she shook her head. "You seem to be immune to my powers. None of us are sure why." I let out a breath.

Another question occurred to me. "Why do you use different last names?" She shook her head. "That is just for pretenses. We are all Cullens, mind, body and heart." Her answer made sense, but it reminded of another worry. "How old are you?" "Seventeen," was the immediate answer. I raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been seventeen?" She glared at me. "A while." "And why do your eyes change color?" She sighed, like she was tired of answering questions. "They're gold when we are… well-fed and they slowly turn black as we get more thirsty. The change to black is sudden if we experience sudden anger, jealousy or lust."

"Becca said that you didn't hunt humans, only animals?" I asked and she nodded. "Why would you bother to even try?" "We don't want to be monsters," she whispered. "Is that why your eyes are gold, not red?" She bit her lips, considering how much she should tell me. "Animal blood condenses a bit more thickly in the irises, hence the gold. Human-drinkers have red eyes." "How did you know I was in trouble when you were all the way in Mt. Rainier?" She cringed, looking guilty and said, "I actually got back on Sunday." "What?" I almost screamed. I'd been going crazy, waiting for her to arrive and she tells me she was there all the time? "Why didn't you come to school?" "It was too sunny, everyone would have seen us." "Oh," I muttered. "Sorry for reacting; I just missed you," I confessed.

Bella stared at me, then groaned as if something occurred to her. "That isn't a good idea, Edward. You should not care about me so much." I shrugged. "Too late," I said without thinking. "Do not ever say that," Bella snarled at me. I looked at her in shock. "You can't become so attached to me, it is too risky." I pursed my lips and looked down, not wanting to show her how much that hurt. _'She doesn't want me,'_ I realized, _'Not that way.'_ And the thought hurt me. I hadn't understood how much _I_ had wanted _her_ , until she told me she didn't.

She seemed to realize my pain and whispered, "I'm sorry, for everything." Her voice was full of regret and I nodded in response. "Are you ready to go home?" she asked. "I'm ready to leave," I answered carefully, not wanting to say goodbye to her just yet.

* * *

The drive back was silent and shorter than I'd have liked. In no time at all, we were in front of my house. The lights were dark, so my Mom had probably gone to bed. I started to get out, but stopped with my hand on the door handle. "Thanks for saving my life today," I muttered. She nodded, then shuddered. "Just let's not repeat the experience, agreed?" I smiled and nodded. "Will I see you tomorrow?" I demanded. She smiled faintly. "Yes, I have a paper I need to submit tomorrow as well." She hesitated a bit, then went on. "Can I pick you up for school tomorrow?" I frowned, confused. "I thought you said I shouldn't spend so much time with you." She laughed, a bitter note standing out. "True, but I never said that I don't want to. I'm a selfish creature. Can we be friends?" She asked. I realized that she was really asking my permission. She wouldn't take any decision regarding me without my agreement. "Friends…" I considered the word. Frankly, that wasn't anywhere close to what I wanted, but if that's what she was willing to give me, then I'd take it. "Okay," I smiled at her. Her answering grin was blinding and I tried to commit it to memory as I left her in the car and went into my house.

A heavy weight settled on my chest, growing with every step I took away from her. I pondered the two important conclusions I'd come to tonight. One: Isabella was a vampire. Two: there was some part of her that wanted to drink my blood, though I had no idea how strong that part was.

Abruptly, as I rubbed my aching chest, I remembered something my mother had once told me. "I knew your father was the one for me, because I couldn't bear to be away from him for even the shortest amount of time. Every time we were separated, my heart hurt so badly, it felt like it wanted to jump out of my chest and all the way to him," we'd both laughed at the picture her words had painted.

But she'd been right in her description. As I climbed into bed, I realized my third important conclusion for the night: I was in love with Isabella Cullen; completely and irrevocably.

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 **Please read and review. And don't forget to give me your opinion.**


	8. Questions, Answers And More Questions

**This chapter spans across the three days when, in Twilight, Edward interrogates Bella. Hope you enjoy!**

 **And I don't own Twilight.**

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Ch. 8- Questions, Answers and More Questions- BPOV

"He knows," were the first words out of my mouth as I stood in our living room, facing my family. They were all staring at me in shocked silence. Carlisle was the first to speak. "Did he guess or did you tell him?" "Neither," I mumbled. "He met Rebecca Black at the Quileute Beach last weekend." _'Black? Ah, Ephraim's descendant.'_ He chuckled. "Well, who'd have thought that it would be their side to break the treaty? I suppose that means we're now free to attack and slaughter them, if we want." All of us gaped at him. He was joking about this?

"Aren't you angry with me?" I asked. He looked at me and chuckled again. "I thought you didn't tell him?" I shook my head. "He asked me questions and I just filled in some blanks." I waited for the anger, but it never came. "Honestly, Bella, I've been expecting you to tell him yourself." "Oh," I thought about it for a second. "I guess I am off the hook then."

"I am curious," Jasper began. "How did he break it to you?" If I were human, I would have blushed, remembering how I'd nearly broken down, when he had made his admission. "He started by telling me how Rebecca had told him some local legends, then said he knew what I was." "And how did he take it when you confirmed everything?" Rosalie's eyes were twinkling as she asked me this and I couldn't stop from grinning back at her. "He took it pretty well."

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I stood by my car, waiting for Edward to come out. I couldn't help the trickle of fear in my mind. He had seemed comfortable last night, but what if the truth of everything had sunk in during the night? Would he still tolerate my presence? But then, he had been aware of the possibility of the truth since last Saturday.

My train of thoughts was broken by the emergence of the boy in mind, as he ran out the door. He skidded to a stop when he saw me. I held out his jacket to him, which I'd completely forgotten to return to him. "Shall we?" I gestured towards the car, as he put it on. He nodded, then looked over the car. "Can I drive?" he blurted. I pursed my lips. I rarely let people drive my precious Audi, unless necessary. "Please?" he added when he saw my hesitation. With a grimace, I handed him my car keys, saying, "I am driving on the way back." He nodded happily, then went to the other side to hold the door open for me. I frowned at him as I got in. I was used to having doors held open for me by my brothers and father; we were all from a time era when such things were principle; but I hadn't expected it from Edward. He noticed my questioning look and smiled. "Mom taught me."

The silence as we drove was thick and Edward kept glancing at me from the corner of his eyes. Finally, I smirked, "What, no twenty questions today?" He looked at me then decided to take my words as permission to ask one. "Does the sun burn you up?" I smiled. "No, it cannot harm us in any way. Something does happen, though, I'll show you someday." He frowned. "Do you sleep in coffins?" My smile grew as I shook my head. "No, I can't sleep at all." He thought again. "Holy water?" "No." "Stake through the heart?" "No." "Garlic?" "No." "What about..?" "Edward," I laughed. "Are you planning to murder me or some other vampire you might have met?" He blushed. "No, just curious." I shook my head, giggling. "The only thing that can kill a vampire is another vampire."

We'd reached the school and I directed Edward to park next to Rosalie's car. "Woah," he said, wide-eyed as he stared at the red BMW M3 convertible. "I know, ostentatious, isn't it?" I asked. "Hnnh," was all Edward could say as we walked passed it. Rosalie would have enjoyed his reaction.

 _'Oh my God! No way, no! How did he do it?'_ Mike's thoughts came to me from where he was standing under the arch of the school entrance, waiting for Edward. Edward noticed him a minute later. "Oh, this can't be good," he muttered under his breath. Then he called out, "Hey Mike, thanks for bringing it." He took his phone from Mike's outstretched hand. I decided to break his trance. "Good morning, Mike," I said pleasantly. "Go… good m… morning," he stammered. His thoughts were in a jumble. _'This can't be happening. Isabella-freaking-Hale? How did he manage this?'_ He shot a meaningful glance at Edward. "I guess I'll see you in Trig." He rushed off and Edward turned to me.

"What's he going to ask me? What do I say?" he was panicking, though why I did not know. "He wants to know if we are secretly dating and whether you like me. You can say yes to the first question; it would be easier than anything else. And as for the second one…" I turned to him, as we reached his classroom. "I will be listening for the answer as well." His mouth fell open in horror as I walked away. "I'll save you a seat at lunch," I turned round and yelled. He was still staring after me, gaping like a fish.

As soon as I got settled in Spanish class with Alice, I searched around for Mike's thoughts. "Hey, I'm really kind of proud of you for the way you handled those men last night. You beat my vision in the best way possible," Alice whispered. She was the only one who knew I had personally dealt with the men who had been about to attack Edward. It had occurred to me then that I could teach them a lesson without actually killing them, so I had only hit them where it would hurt. But I could only smile at Alice, as I found Mike's mind. It still irked me that I couldn't read the mind that matters the most to me, but I was beginning to get used to the silence and enjoy the peace it brought me. Edward entered his classroom warily and set his bag down beside Mike.

"Well," he said, looking eagerly at Edward. "Spill." Edward gave a long-suffering sigh. "What do you wanna know?" Mike rolled his eyes. _'I want to know how long before she dumps you, idiot.'_ A small growl escaped me and Alice squeezed my hand, reminding me where I was. "Had you guys been planning to meet up yesterday?" Mike asked. "Have you been dating in secret?" He spoke slowly, like he was worried Edward might have difficulty understanding him.

Edward noticed this as well, because he scowled before answering shortly, "No, we just ran into each other. Yes, we're dating." "What happened after we left you guys?" Mike asked frowning. _'Seriously, do I have to drag every bit of information out of you? It's like pulling teeth.'_ Edward sighed. "Nothing, we just had dinner, talked and she drove me back home."

"Hmm," was all Mike could say. _'He seems to be telling the truth. I wonder how long this will last, though. If she's suddenly interested in dating, I'd be happy to help, as soon as she's finished with this guy.'_ "How serious is it between you guys?" He finally asked. "How long before she gets bored with you and moves on to the next one?" Edward looked at him with a frown. Mike went on, oblivious to his discomfort. "I mean, a girl like that can't possibly have a serious relationship with any one person. With her looks, I'm surprised it took her this long to get to the dating market." Edward's frown disappeared, replaced by a bitter pain that only I could see, but couldn't comprehend. "You're right," he whispered. "I don't know how long before she gets bored and leaves me."

I gasped and Alice looked at me in alarm. Nobody else had noticed, so I whispered, "Edward thinks I am just toying around with him. He doesn't realize how…," I nearly choked at the irony of the situation. "How hopelessly in love with him I am. He doesn't know _he is my mate_." Alice looked at me, a mixture of sympathy and incredulity on her face. "Relax Bells, I'm pretty sure that's just because you didn't tell him. From what you told me last night, when he hinted at caring for you, you practically snarled at him."

I pursed my lips and mentally berated myself. Of course, I should have realized that. "You're right, Ali Cat. I have to tell him." An idea started to form in my head. "And I know just how to do it." As I made my plans, Alice saw a vision and chuckled to herself. "You and your theatrics. But you might want to leave out the part where you're mates. That might be a little difficult to understand for a human, not to mention a bit freaky." And both of us erupted into silent laughter at the back of the class, while Mrs. Goff droned on about Spanish conjugations.

As soon as the bell rang, I winked at Alice, before dashing out to grab an empty table at lunch. Each of my siblings grinned at me, their thoughts supporting (Jasper, Alice and Rosalie) and annoying (Emmett) as they walked past me to our usual table. Soon, after them, Edward walked in, followed closely by Mike and Jessica. His eyes swept over the cafeteria to where my siblings sat and immediately, his face fell. He pursed his lips bitterly, just as Mike spotted me and frowned. "Why's Bella sitting alone today?" Like a current passed through him, Edward's gaze snapped over to mine. As our eyes met, I beckoned him to me with my index finger. When he continued to look astonished, I winked playfully at him. Immediately, both Edward's and Mike's eyes widened and their jaws dropped. "I'd better go to her; I think she wants to talk to me." Before Mike could say anything, he grabbed his lunch tray and made his way over to me.

"I told you I would save a seat for you didn't I?" I asked teasingly. He nodded, still not taking his eyes off me. My eyes drifted to his friends. Angela and Ben, two rare humans who I really liked, were happy to see Edward happy. The same could not be said for the others. "Some of your friends don't seem very pleased with me for stealing you away." That awakened him and he rolled his eyes. "They'll survive without me. So, did you get the answers you wanted from eavesdropping on my conversation with Mike?" he asked shrewdly. I decided it would be less embarrassing for him if I lied. "No, I decided I'd better not listen."

He sighed, in obvious relief and picked up his apple, eyeing it speculatively. Alice, several tables away, started giggling. "This'll be fun," she whispered. _'I really pity you, Bella. Well, no, not really.'_ The others, who were already listening in our conversation, now paid even more attention. Meanwhile, I waited for Edward to speak with some trepidation. "I'm curious," he began. "What would you do in a situation where you have to eat human food?" I glared at him, while my siblings started laughing at my expense. "You're too curious for my good," I grumbled and, holding Edward's gaze, I picked up his slice of pizza. I bit into it with a grimace, chewed quickly and swallowed as quickly as I could.

Edward watched me, wide-eyed. "That's why we isolate ourselves as much as possible from humans. Eating happens to be highly unpleasant for us." Edward took the pizza from my hand and took a bite, considering something. After swallowing, he said, "Were you and Emmett hunting last weekend at Mt. Rainier?" I nodded. "There are always plenty of grizzly bears for him to hunt there this time of the year. They're his favorites," I added, on seeing him frown. He blinked then looked slightly panicked. "He hunts grizzlies?" his voice came out as a squeak and when I nodded, he turned slightly to look at Emmett. Emmett chose that time to flex his muscles and Edward immediately winced. "I can imagine it. I pity thos e poor grizzlies." I giggled as Emmett chuckled at his words and he turned to look at me. "What's your favorite?" "Mountain lion," I answered immediately. His eyebrows rose high. "I don't suppose that's something I might get to see?"

I froze. The thought of Edward being there while I hunted was frightening. His scent, though I had grown used to it, still burned me. I'd hardly been breathing except when I needed to say something last night, when we'd been in a closed car. That had been when I was in my correct senses. But while hunting; when my predatory instincts were dominant? The results would be gruesome, not to mention shattering for me. So it was a bit sharply that I answered the question. "You suppose right."

He pursed his lips again and I quickly sensed his annoyance at not getting a proper answer. So I explained. At the end of my lecture, he sighed. "Alright, I get it." I decided it was time to change the topic. "Do you really need to go to Seattle this weekend? Or would you like to go somewhere with me?" Immediately, his whole demeanor changed. He sat up straighter and said excitedly, "Yes, definitely." I laughed at his enthusiasm. "Okay, it's a place I like to go when it is a bit sunny, so you will be able to see what I meant by the sun." His eyes gleamed at the prospect of seeing the display and I felt more confident about my plan.

* * *

The next two days passed smoothly. On Friday, though, I had to cut our time together short. "I'm leaving with Alice after lunch today," I suddenly exclaimed. He looked at me with disappointment etched on his face. "Why?" he asked, his voice firm, but with a trace of resignation. "If I'm going to be alone with you tomorrow, I'll need to be prepared," I sighed. He caught my meaning easily. "But I trust you not to hurt me," he said quietly. "You shouldn't," I replied harshly. He didn't say anything else, as just then Jasper appeared by my side.

"Hello, Isa," he said, holding his breath. Edward's blood did not hold the same level of intensity for the others as it did for me, but it was still more appealing than usual. _'Aren't you going to introduce us, dear sister?'_ I rolled my eyes at him and gestured with a hand. "Edward, this is my brother, Jasper. Jasper, this is Edward." Jasper smiled at Edward, which he returned a bit uncertainly. Jaz turned back to me and started twirling a few strands of my hair. "Alice is waiting for you by your car." Before I could respond, Jasper felt a surge of powerful emotion and tensed slightly. _'Jealousy? Why is Edward…?'_ He dropped his hand from my shoulder, letting go of my hair, and immediately, the intensity of the feeling diminished slightly. Jasper and I both glanced at Edward, who was very interested in the table, then looked at each other. Jasper was feeling equal parts guilty and amused and stood up. "Don't keep her waiting, Isa. See you this evening." He strolled away and I turned back to Edward.

"I should go. I'll come pick you up. Same time tomorrow?" He nodded, looking extremely forlorn. I smiled faintly. "It seems like a rather long time, am I right?" He nodded. I sighed and hesitantly, reached across the table to stroke his face. But something screamed at me to stop, not knowing how he would react to my icy skin, and I drew my hand back. "Bye," I whispered and without looking back, I headed out of the school, to where Alice was waiting for me. "We need to bring his car here first," I said. Alice rolled her eyes. _'I know, silly. I'm a psychic, remember?'_

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 **Up next: the meadow. Till then, please read and review!**


	9. Colors And Promises

**I'm very sorry for the late update, but this chapter gave me a lot of trouble. I've changed it to mu suiting, but the essence of it remains the same. Hope you enjoy.**

 **Also, I don't own Twilight.**

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Ch. 9- Colors and Promises- EPOV

Saturday morning dawned bright and early. Mom and Phil had already left to go fishing with Rebecca's family; an old tradition I only recently found out about. As I got ready for whatever was going to happen today, I couldn't help but glance repeatedly at the piece of paper lying on my bedside table, with two words written on it in a cursive writing I knew well. _Be safe._ I'd found it lying on the dashboard of my car, which, somehow, had found its way to the school parking yesterday, with the key in the ignition. I hadn't bothered to try and figure out just how Bella had managed to bring it there, especially since even I couldn't remember where I'd kept it.

I cringed slightly at the memory of yesterday's lunch. When Bella had told me she had to leave early, I'd nearly cried out in panic. It took all my will power not to beg her to stay when she got up to leave. For a second, I could have sworn she'd been about to stroke my face, but something made her change her mind. And I still couldn't believe how jealous I'd been of Jasper, when he'd sat next to her, playing with her hair. He was her _brother_ , for goodness' sake. Or maybe I'd been jealous because she was so comfortable and casual with him; that he could be that close to her and I _couldn't._ I grabbed my jacket and sat down on the couch to wait. I looked at the leather in my hands and tried to recall the fragrance that had saturated it when I'd taken it back from Bella. It had been the most wonderful scent I'd ever smelled in my life, flowery, delicate and just so Bella, but I couldn't identify it.

I was broken out of my thoughts by the sound of a car horn. Putting on my jacket, just in case, I ran out the door to see the blue Audi that I'd been driving these past few days waiting for me. Grinning madly, I got seated and saw Bella smiling at me. I noted dimly that she had a jacket on too, but after that, I lost all sense of logic as I looked into her eyes. They had been growing steadily darker over the last few days, but today, it was back to honey-gold. "Shall we?" she asked. I nodded breathlessly. I was sure she knew the effect she had on me, because she smirked to herself as she started the car.

During the drive, Bella kept asking me random questions. "What's your favorite color?" "Brown." She turned to look at me skeptically. I shrugged. "Brown is warm," I said by way of an explanation. She nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression on her face. "What's your favorite book?" And so it went on. At times, I had to struggle with a response, but each time she waited patiently. I kept staring at her all the time, which proved to be a bit of a mistake. When she asked me my favorite gemstone, I blurted out without thinking, "Amber," and immediately winced. She, of course, noticed and began pestering me to tell her. Finally, I gave in and answered weakly, "It's the color of your eyes today." She didn't say anything, but just blinked at the road ahead of us. Suddenly, she asked, "I wonder if you can guess my favorite gemstone?" I shook my head and she smiled mischievously. "I'll give you a clue. My reasoning behind it is just the same as yours." I frowned at the cryptic words, while she gave me a look that said clearly, _'You are smart enough to figure it out. THINK!'_ All of a sudden it came to be, impossible though it seemed. "Emerald?" I asked tentatively. Her brilliant smile told me I was right and a lot of my embarrassment faded away.

* * *

"We're hiking?" I asked, looking out the windshield at the trail leading into the forest. "Yes," she nodded. "But we aren't taking the trail," she added after following my gaze. I frowned and took off my jacket; it was too warm for it anyways; before getting out of the car. Bella got out from the other side and stood facing the woods. "How long of a hike is it?" I asked, walking around the car to stand beside her. "About 5 five miles." She turned around to face me and I stifled a gasp.

Bella had taken of her jacket, like me, and beneath it she was wearing a black tank top, with a pair of white shorts, ending just above her knee, and hiking boots. I'd never seen so much of her skin exposed before. She had thin arms, delicate shoulders, fragile-looking twigs for collarbones curling into the hollow of her neck, a swan-like neck, a slim waist, long perfectly shaped legs and ribs I could nearly count under the thin cotton. Her hair she had twisted into a messy bun. _'She's too perfect'_ , I realized with a crushing wave of despair. No matter how many girls I'd dated or had crushed on before, there was no way this goddess could ever belong with me.

Bella stared at me for a full minute, confused by my tortured expression. Then, realization flashed in her eyes and she smiled shyly. "I don't usually dress this way, but it's the best way to show you," she mumbled. I closed my mouth with some difficulty and began the long hike. On the way, she kept asking me random questions; small things like my friends back in Phoenix, my mom, family pets. After several hours, I finally asked, in mock outrage, "How much further?" She simply smiled and gestured forward. Following her gaze, I saw a lightening in the trees ahead, a glow that was yellow instead of green. I picked up the pace, my eagerness growing with every step. She let me lead now, following noiselessly.

I reached the edge of the trees and stepped through the last fringe of ferns into the loveliest place I had ever seen. The meadow was small, perfectly round, and filled with wildflowers - violet, yellow, and soft white. Somewhere nearby, I could hear the bubbling music of a stream. The sun was directly overhead, filling the circle with buttery sunshine. I walked slowly, awestruck, through the soft grass, swaying flowers, and warm, gilded air. Then I remembered why I was here: because Bella had promised to show the effect of the sun on her. I turned to look at her and saw that she was still standing at the edge of the meadow, hidden in the shadow.

I held out a hand to her and took a step in her direction. She quickly put up her hands and I froze. Her face was wary, guarded, but her eyes held unmistakable fear. Slowly, it melted away, replaced by resigned determination and, closing her eyes, she took a step forward.

"Bella," I whispered in awe, my eyes wide, as the sun rays hit her skin. They bounced off her, splitting into colors. Every inch of her glittered in the sun and I realized that she'd chosen her clothes with care. She'd obviously been determined to show this to me, but the grim set of her face now made me feel that she was doubting herself. I walked around her slowly, needing to see every inch of the miracle in front of me before I believed it, resisting the urge to run a hand over her arms. When I was back in front of her, her eyes were slightly screwed up, not from any pain obviously, but more like she was bracing herself.

" _Aurora Borealis_ ," I muttered. Her eyebrows shot up. "What?" she asked in a strangled whisper. I knew she'd heard me and understood what I'd meant, but I explained anyway. "That's what you look like; that's how beautiful you are. _Aurora Borealis._ Northern lights."

Her face showed nothing but surprise, but she moved past me to the center of the meadow. I followed her, entranced and we sat down, cross-legged, a few inches separating us. Hesitantly, I reached out and, for the first time, touched her arm. The skin was smooth as I stroked it, cold and hard as ice, but soft as satin. I wondered at the marvel, still not quite believing it, and ran my fingers up and down her arms, never going higher than her forearm, over her elbows and circling her knuckles. She didn't say anything until, "What are you thinking?" I looked up to see the frustrated look on her face and she went on. "It's annoying, not knowing what you are thinking." For a few seconds, I didn't answer. I was distracted by the observation that her hair had dark red tints to it when the sun hit it just right.

Then I saw that she was still waiting for an answer and I averted my eyes. "I was just trying to convince myself that I'm awake and in my correct senses. And I'm afraid…" I trailed. "What are you afraid of?" The panic in Bella's voice was well hidden, but by now, I'd become adept at reading into her moods. I shook my head, chuckling slightly and took her hands in mine. "I'm not afraid of you, but…" All of a sudden, Bella was kneeling in front of me, her face just inches from mine. Her eyes were warm and inquisitive. Her breath washed over me and I was lost in the same sweet scent I'd caught on my jacket. "What is it then?" she asked, her silky voice unintentionally seductive.

But I could hardly understand. My brain was fuzzy and I felt like a helpless insect immobilized in amber. Inhaling her scent, I instinctively closed my eyes and leaned towards her. Immediately, her hands were ripped from mine and I felt the wind rush past me. Opening my eyes in shock, I saw that Bella had retreated into the forest again. Her arms were wrapped around herself, like she was trying to protect herself from pain. But I knew better. She was trying to restrain herself from doing something wrong. Although her skin was freezing, my hands suddenly felt as if they'd been burned by the loss of contact. "Bella," I whispered, knowing she could hear me. "I'm… sorry." "Please just give me a moment," she called out.

After several long seconds, she walked back to me and sat down, this time a few feet away. "I'm sorry," she stated. "Would you forgive me if I say that I am merely human?" She smiled wryly at me, but I couldn't quite return it. My mind had just begun to catch up and I realized what had nearly happened. Bella, obviously, caught the subtle change to horror in my expression, though I tried to hide it, and her smile turned mocking.

"I truly am the world's best, most dangerous predator, aren't I?" She boasted. "Every single thing about me invites you in. My looks, my voice, even my smell. As I even need any of that," she suddenly screamed. She shot to her feet without warning and, like a bullet, dashed around the meadow several times. I couldn't even see the blur of her movement, but I could feel the rush of air as she ran past me.

She came to a stop near the trees. "As if you could outrun me," she yelled. I watched her, frozen. She was completely freed of the human façade she had created and, for the second time since I'd first seen her, I felt afraid of her. She didn't wait for my reaction; instead, she grasped a nearby young tree with both hands and, with little strain, wrenched it out of the ground and threw it across the meadow, where it crashed into several other trees and knocked them down. She appeared in front of me.

"As if you could fight me off," she said, in a quiet voice that only made her seem more dangerous. I stared at her, unable to move or speak. Her face was hard and her golden eyes glowed with a wild frenzy. She had never looked more beautiful than she did just then, but she had never looked less human either. As we stared at each other, the madness slowly faded from her eyes and she relaxed, sitting down in front of me, taking my hands again.

"I'm sorry. I will not harm you, I swear. I'm not even thirsty today, honestly," she tried to joke and I found I could laugh with her. "So, you were saying…" she prodded gently. I swallowed nervously. "I was saying that I'm afraid to lose you, because I can't stay with you, obviously. But, I want to, probably more than I should." She nodded. "True, being with me is not really in your best interests," she agreed. "More so than with anybody else." I frowned. "I don't get that." She looked at me carefully.

"Every human has a different scent, a different taste. When one has abstained from human blood for as long as my family, one grows attuned to those differences. I, myself, am fairly adept at resisting. But…" she hesitated and looked down at our entwined fingers before going on. "But your blood calls to me like no other. It's like a drug for me; I can't resist it even though I know I should." "So what you're saying is…" I struggled to understand. "I'm like your personal brand of heroin." She burst out laughing. "Exactly. Of course…" she quieted down and sighed. "That's why I had acted so hostile on your first day. I was trying to keep up my pretenses and at the same time, I was so angry at myself for being weak, which I took out on you."

I laughed nervously. "And now?" I asked. Bella smiled and shifted closer to me, freeing her hands from mine. They came up to rest on the sides of my face, stroking my cheek, my eyebrows, my jaw line. As her index finger traced my lips, my heart started beating faster, like I'd just run up several flights of stairs. "Now, Edward," she whispered. "The thirst is still there, firmly under control, but there are other hungers of a completely different, more human, kind." The gold of her eyes sparkled, keeping me trapped in her gaze. "And, as much as they excite me, they scare me too." Her hands slipped down to my throat, pausing over my pulse for a second, then finally came to a rest over my chest. "Because I have to be careful with you. So very careful," she went on.

Wait, no, what was she saying? She couldn't… she didn't… Was she saying that she felt the same way towards me as I felt towards her? That she felt the same irresistible urge to be together, the same magnetic pull, the same dull ache when we were separate? My heart was now beating furiously fast, skipping a few beats here and there, and I knew she could hear it.

Bella leaned forward, placing her head on my chest, her hands placed lightly on my shoulders. Automatically, my arms came up to encircle her waist and, for a long time, we sat there, locked in each other's embrace. Only one thought ran through my head: _'I love you'_.

* * *

I don't know how long we sat there for, but the sun was sinking when Bella finally pulled away, frowning slightly. "I should get you home." I didn't say anything, but followed her lead and got up. She looked at me closely. "Can I show you something?" She asked, excitement suddenly gleaming in her eyes. "We can get back to the car much faster." "I'm open to other options," I agreed, then hastily added, "As long as you don't turn into a bat, I mean." She rolled her eyes. "Vampires do not turn into bats. Now, get on my back," she ordered. I stared at her, dumbfounded, while she gestured to do as she said. "How," I began nervously. "How are you going to carry me, Bella?" She looked at me in disbelief. "Did you or did you not have your eyes open this afternoon?" She asked incredulously. I hurried to explain. "I don't mean that you're not strong enough. It's just… you're _really short._ " She glared at me. "I'm 5'4"," she growled. "And I'm 6'2"," I countered.

She shook her head, exasperated. "Just get on, Edward." I sighed. Moving awkwardly, I wrapped my arms around her neck and my legs around her waist. She gripped my knees, asked, "Ready?" and before I could change my mind, she started running. The forest went past us at a blur. I couldn't feel a step Bella took, so that it felt as if we were still and the trees were rushing past us. Still there was no mistaking the wind whistling in my ears and whipping my already unmanageable hair into a frenzy, while I held on for dear life.

Within two minutes, or maybe less, we were back at the start of the trail, the blue car still exactly where we'd left it. "Exhilarating, isn't it?" Bella asked, her voice drenched in excitement. I couldn't really find my voice yet, so I concentrated on trying to unravel myself from Bella. My knees were shaking but I managed to get to the car, before they gave out and I collapsed against the side of the car.

Bella looked down at me with an amused expression. "Motion sickness?" She asked knowingly. I shook my head in denial. "I'm fine, it's just the shock. Once you get over that, it's pretty enjoyable," I explained. She smiled brightly and sat down beside me. Her perfect face was untroubled and happy. She looked so lighthearted, so human, that I couldn't help but fall more in love with her. It would cause me physical pain to be separated from her now.

She seemed to be deep in thought as she looked at me closely, biting her lips. My eyes drifted towards her rose pink lower lip and noticed that it was slightly fuller than the upper lip. Immediately, I scolded myself for torturing myself with impossible daydreams.

"Edward," Bella started. "While I was running, I was thinking…" she hesitated for a second. "I was thinking that there is something I want to do." She scooted closer to me and placed both her hands on my face again. This time, there was no mistaking her intentions. I froze, as she hesitated, testing herself to make sure. "Do you trust me?" She asked, her whispered question giving away how terrified she was. "As long as you trust yourself," I managed to say. She looked surprised and I wished I could silence my wildly thumping heart, or slow the rushing of my blood through my veins. I knew it would only make things more difficult for her.

For a second, the uncertainty in her eyes made me think she would change her mind and draw away, but, as it was replaced by determination and hope, she proved me wrong and her cold, marble lips pressed ever so gently against mine.

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 **Sorry for the cliff hanger, but this seemed like a really good place to stop. The next chapter will be about the first night they spend together. Till then, read and review, please.**


	10. Mind Over Matter

**As promised, here's chapter 10. This one is about the night they both spend together. By the way, I've decided to continue with the whole saga. I hope that's good news for all my readers.**

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Ch. 10- Mind Over Matter- BPOV

I was in control, I was sure of it. Edward's need for me to have faith in myself gave me confidence. I continued to lean in, until the very tips of my lips brushed lightly against his supple warm ones. I pressed a little harder to his lips until our lips were moving with each other, his honey-scented breath enveloping me and his taste like an explosion in my mouth, so much better than any blood I had ever tasted. I could hear his pulse hammering and feel his skin becoming warmer.

Our lips only parted for a second at a time, and each time he caught his breath. He was breathing heavily now. Suddenly, he gasped in pleasure and his arms wound around my waist. I embraced him back fiercely. Moving without thinking, I knotted my fingers into his hair and he pulled me closer. His mouth was warm and inviting. He parted his lips, breathing heavier. His scent rushed through me and the monster inside me clawed up my throat, suddenly changing everything.

I clenched my teeth and then I froze. He didn't let go, he continued to clutch me to him. I didn't want to let go, I wanted to bring myself closer to him. I had never felt these feelings before. I couldn't let this continue. _'NO MISTAKES'_ , I yelled at myself. My hands were still wrapped around his face, and I slowly, but forcefully, pushed Edward away. How could he have such a hold on me? He opened his eyes then, breathing heavily, and realization dawned on him.

"Oops," he breathed. "I would say that's an understatement," I replied, my own voice shaking. Gently, Edward tried to move away from me and, reluctantly, I let him. I concentrated on taking deep breaths, reminding myself of the reason for the necessity of control. Just as I calmed down, I heard my phone ring. Frowning, I opened the door of the car and retrieved it from my jacket. Flipping it open, I was surprised to see the name. "What is it, Alice?" I asked. "I hope you enjoyed your afternoon, dear sister, which I know you did," she said airily and I suppressed a groan at the thought that she would have seen what just transpired between Edward and me. Alice ignored me. "But Phil will be returning home soon and I think you should have your boyfriend home before that." "Thanks, Ali," I sighed and shut the phone.

Edward had followed me into the car and I explained what Alice had said. He sighed as well. "I suppose I should get back then. Mom won't come home till much later, but Phil is really early."

* * *

I parked the car around the block instead of in front of the house. Edward looked at me inquiringly. "Phil is already home. I can hear his thoughts. He's worried about you." "I'll tell him I went for a walk," Edward mused. I nodded in agreement. He looked at me in worry. "Are you leaving?" he asked. "Do you want me to stay?" he nodded, a sparkle coming back in his eyes, and I smiled. "Go inside," I instructed. "I will be there, don't worry." Still wary of my words, Edward got out and ran inside the house. As soon as he was out of sight, I sent a quick message to Alice to come and get the car, undid my hair so it hung down my shoulders in my usual style, then dashed out and, in a minute, I found myself in the darkness of Edward's bedroom. Downstairs, I could hear Phil's thoughts and his spoken conversation with his nephew.

"So, you got all your homework done then?" "Yeah," Edward lied cheerily. _'Why is he in such a good mood? Did he meet someone? He looks really keyed up.'_ Phil was watching Edward carefully, as he ate his dinner at breakneck speed. _'He'd better not be planning to sneak out at night. Maybe I should lock his door just in case. I'll have to talk to Lizzie tomorrow.'_ "Your mother is spending the night at the Blacks," he spoke carefully. "I'll be going back there tomorrow, early in the morning too." "No problem," Edward agreed. He quickly washed his plate. "Goodnight, Phil." "'Night, Edward."

I listened carefully as Edward ran into the bathroom and took a quick shower. His hair damp, he closed the door of his bedroom and crossed over to the open window on tiptoes. "Bella?" he whispered loudly into the darkness, not having spotted me in the dark corner of the room. I went over to his bed and leaned casually against the headboard, all without a sound. "Yes, Edward?" I asked. He whirled around in shock, his hand flying up to his chest. "You're here," he said as he sat down opposite me.

I didn't answer; just smiled in response. Very slowly, his hand came up caress my face. I closed my eyes and reveled in the ecstasy of his scent, while he studied my features the way I had his in the meadow. "Will you ever tell me how old you are?" he wondered. Entranced by the feel of his warm, soft touch on my face, I answered without thinking, "I was born in Chicago in 1901. Carlisle found me in a hospital in the summer of 1918. I was just seventeen and dying of Spanish influenza." Edward gasped. His fingers froze on my face for a second, before he leaned forward and touched his forehead to mine. "What about the others?" he asked, curiosity in his voice. "Esme… fell from a cliff," I edited just a bit. "Carlisle found her in a morgue, though her heart had still been beating. After that, when we were in Appalachia, he found Emmett, while hunting. He was being mauled by a bear and Carlisle brought him home to save him. I did not realize until much later, that Carlisle had hoped Emmett would become for me what Esme was to him."

I felt Edward tense, his fingers tightening over my temples, and I hurried to quell his doubt. "But Em was never more than a brother to me. He brought out a part of me that I had forgotten was there, made me laugh and became a perfect part of our family." Edward shifted slightly and I opened my eyes to look at him. I could not tell how visible I was to his weaker eyesight in the darkness, but I could see every facet of his face as clearly as if in the sun. He didn't make any sign to stop, so I went on. "We were in Rochester. One evening, Emmett had just been out for a walk, when he came across Rosalie. She had been badly injured and was lying in the streets, bleeding." Again, I edited, because Rosalie and Esme's stories were not mine to tell. "He picked her up and brought her back to the house, begging Carlisle to change her. Only now am I able to appreciate just how difficult that short journey of half an hour must have been." I turned my head slightly and breathed in at his wrist, his pulse picking up beneath my nose.

"But he made it, didn't he?" Edward asked, his voice sounding breathless. I hid a smile at the effect I knew I was having on him. "Yes, something in the way she looked at him gave him the will to do it." I hated not touching him myself, so I lifted my arms and locked them around Edward's neck, resting my head on his shoulder. In return, he held me tightly around my waist, burying his nose in my hair. "They've been together ever since. Sometimes, they live separately from us as a couple. I suppose, in a few years, we will all be invited to their marriage again, for the 52nd time." Knowing Rosalie's love for grandeur, I chuckled, breathing into his ear.

Abruptly, Edward pulled away. I withdrew my hands and we stared at each other, both of us trying to read the other's mind. My jaw clenched as I took in Edward's wide eyes. "Did I do something wrong?" I finally asked. "No," he whispered back. "But you're driving me nuts." I smirked then. "Well, that is good to know." "Isn't my scent bothering you anymore?" He asked incredulously. I leaned forward again to whisper in his ear, "Mind over matter." Just as Edward rolled his eyes, Phil's thoughts, which I had been ignoring, suddenly intruded into my head. Quickly, taking care to control my strength, I pushed Edward back on the pillows, threw the covers on him and retreated into the corner of the room, just as Phil opened the door to check whether Edward was asleep.

Edward seemed to have caught on and was feigning sleep quite well. Phil watched him for some time, then, convinced, he shut the door and retreated to his own bedroom. Immediately, I flitted to Edward's side and lay beside him. "You're quite a good actor. You can definitely consider that as a career option," I whispered. He shivered as my cold breath hit the skin of his neck. "Could you go on about Jasper and Alice, please?" he begged. I smiled.

"Jasper and Alice are two very rare creatures. Both grew a conscience and acted accordingly. Jasper had belonged to another, very different kind of family. When he could no longer bear to live that way, he escaped, trying to find a new meaning to life. Alice, on the other hand, has no recollection of her human life, her creator, or of her change. But when she woke, she found that she saw visions of what was to come. It isn't very accurate always, though. The future's not set in stone. She saw visions of Jasper, her to-be mate, and waited for him. After she found him, she had visions of Carlisle and us, and journeyed to find us."

Edward stayed quiet for some time. "Does everyone in your family have special abilities like this?" I shook my head. "No, only some vampires have gifts above and beyond the norm for our kind. The general theory is that our defining human traits are enhanced by the change. I must have always been good at reading people. Alice must have had some kind of sixth sense. Jasper had been very charismatic in his last life. Now, he can feel and affect the emotions of anyone present in the room." "And the others?" Edward asked. "Carlisle brought his compassion; Esme, her ability to love with an unmatched passion, as a wife, a lover, or our mother; Emmett, his massive strength; and Rosalie, her tenacity."

Both of us lay quite for some time. Then Edward broke the silence. "One last question. You said, Emmett and Rosalie might get married. So, is that marriage the same for vampires as it is for humans? And after?" I smiled and nodded. "Yes, the marriage is just the same. So is the after-part, except everything is a lot more intense because of our heightened senses." Edward blushed. I could feel the increased heat and smell his blood concentrated is his face. "Why are you blushing?" I enquired. "Well, I- I w-was…" he stuttered. "I was wondering about you and me, someday."

I didn't answer for some time. With a flash, I remembered the ring on my left hand in one of the visions Alice had seen. But that was impossible, unless… no, I would not allow _that_. "That's not going to happen, Edward," I said quietly. "Why?" he frowned. "Would it be too hard for you, if I were that close?" I shrugged helplessly. "That, and because, quite simply, I'm too strong. I could very easily kill you, Edward. It wouldn't require any effort." He did not argue the point, but his question had sparked a curiosity in me. "I am curious though," I began, echoing his statement from a few days before. "Have you ever…?" "God no," Edward interrupted. "I never let it go that far." "But you have been in relationships before?" I pressed. I could feel Edward's growing discomfort. "Yes, a few. But, the farthest I ever went was just a kiss."

I pondered this for some time. "Okay, then. And before you ask, you are my first time for everything." Edward smiled in the darkness, satisfied with my words, and I continued. "You should go to sleep now." Edward hummed in response and tightened his hold on my waist. I began softly singing the lullaby I had composed for him. Within minutes, Edward had fallen asleep. And then the talking began.

* * *

I was in the middle of listening to Edward's highly entertaining dream argument with his mother, when Rosalie appeared at the window. _'I've got a change of clothes for you. You can change in the forest if you want. I'll keep watch here.'_ I gently unraveled myself from Edward's arms and went to the window. "Thanks, Rose," I whispered, as I took the clothes from her. She smiled at me and I leapt out the window.

I changed fast, even for a vampire, and within minutes, I was back in my slice of heaven. Rose was still standing where I had left her, trying to get accustomed to his scent, while listening to Edward's ramblings with growing amusement. _'Alice says you're going to bring him over, to introduce him to the family?'_ I sat down on the rocking chair, for fear of waking him if I lay down beside him, and nodded. "If Edward doesn't mind, then yes, I would like to."

* * *

Edward groaned as he rolled over on his back and sat up, his eyes squeezed shut against the dim light filtering in through the window. "You know, your hair looks even worse in the morning, a bit like a bird's nest. But I like it," I quipped. Edward's eyes shot open and he gaped at me, as I stood over his bed, looking down at him. "You stayed!" he exclaimed and he pulled me down on his lap and hugged me tightly, as I returned it carefully. He drew back, saying, "Just give me a minute to be human." I stepped away from him and waited as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Ten minutes passed before he came back out. He pulled me into his arms as soon as he came in and for a long time we stood there in the middle of his room. "Phil?" he asked, his voice muffled by my hair. "He left for the reservation." He pulled back slightly and fingered the sleeve of my fresh shirt, frowning. "You changed?" his voice was accusing. I shrugged. "I couldn't leave in the clothes I had come in, could I? What would the neighbors assume?" He rolled his eyes and I changed tack.

"Don't worry, I didn't miss anything much." He frowned. "What do you mean?" I grinned slyly up at him and mock whispered, "You talk in your sleep." _'And I spent every night here listening to you say my name again and again,'_ I added mentally. But there was no need for him to know that. He groaned. "What did I say last night?" My smile widened with pure happiness. "You said you love me," I whispered. It had undoubtedly been the highlight of my night when he'd said those three small words in connection to my name. His gaze softened. "That's true," he agreed. "I do love you." I hugged him tighter in response.

"You didn't seem very heavy just now. Is that normal?" he suddenly asked. Now I rolled my eyes. "Yes, it's quite normal. Our weight remains more or less the same after the change. I had already lost quite a bit of my weight because of the illness." He considered this and a mischievous glint came in his eyes. "Well, that means I can do this."

I squealed as, without warning, he scooped me up in his arms and began walking down the stairs. "Careful on the way down," I cautioned, even as I laughed and looped my arms around his neck. He set me down at the kitchen table. I watched as he quickly put together a bowl of cereal for himself and began spooning it into his mouth. He caught the grimace on my face as I watched him and playfully waved the spoon at me. "Want a taste?" he asked. I shook my head frantically and he snorted.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" he asked. "Well," I said slowly. "What would you say to meeting my family?" He froze for a second, swallowed, then said, "If that's okay with them, why not?" "Oh, they're quite eager to meet you," I promised. "Do they know that I know?" he inquired. I nodded. "Remember everything I told you yesterday? Keeping secrets in our family isn't exactly feasible because of me, Alice and Jasper."

He nodded. "I guess I should introduce you to my mom and Phil, too," he sighed. "Oh, I already know Phil. He's really nice, one of my favorite humans in fact," I replied cheerily. He shook his head in mock exasperation. "Mom is going to be beside herself, once she finds out I'm dating a brunette." I laughed at his martyred expression. "Well, that is good. I wouldn't want her to have a restraining order put on me, because I'm around too much."

"Will you really be around?" he asked quietly. I smiled. "As long as you want me," I promised. "I'll always want you; forever," he warned. I didn't answer, but stared at him for a long time. Finally, I spoke. "Go and get dressed. I will just wait here for you."

* * *

 **We'll be meeting the rest of the Cullens next chapter. Please read and review.**


	11. The Cullens

**So, we are going to meet the Cullens now. Most of this chapter is the same as the original in Twilight.**

 **I don't own Twilight.**

* * *

Ch. 11- The Cullens- EPOV

As I dressed, all I could think about was the fact that Bella was in my kitchen and she had been with me the whole night. I threw on the clothes as quick as I could, then quietly opened the door and stood at the top of the landing of the stairs. Bella was still sitting at the table, her hands folded, staring out the window. Her mahogany hair was in its usual style, pulled back by a white hair band, and her white shirt downplayed her paleness so, except for her unnatural rigidness, she looked nearly human. I knew she knew I was right there watching her, but she gave no indication of that.

"Okay," I finally said. "I'm decent." She looked up and smiled at me as I walked down the stairs to meet her. "Give me your car keys," she stated. "You would never be able to find the turn-off."

* * *

"Ready?" she asked, as I opened the door for her. "Not even a little bit - let's go." I tried to laugh, but it seemed to get stuck in my throat. I ran a hand through my hair nervously. "You look fine," she assured me. She took my hand easily and we walked through the deep shade up to the porch. I knew she could feel my tension; her thumb rubbed soothing circles into the back of my hand.

The inside was very bright, very open, and very large. This must have originally been several rooms, but the walls had been removed from most of the first floor to create one wide space. The back, south-facing wall had been entirely replaced with glass. A massive curving staircase dominated the west side of the room. The walls, the high-beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets were all varying shades of white. Waiting to greet us, standing just to the left of the door were Bella's parents.

I'd never seen Dr. Cullen before and I was shocked by his obvious youth and outrageous perfection. He was young, blond and more handsome than any movie star I'd ever seen. At his side was Esme and I felt my jaw drop, as I took in the one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen, second only to Bella. She had the same pale, beautiful features as the rest of them, with a heart-shaped face, caramel-colored hair and a small, slender figure. "Carlisle, Esme," Bella's voice broke the short silence. "This is Edward."

"You're very welcome, Edward." Carlisle's step was measured as he approached me. He raised his hand and I stepped forward to shake hands with him. "It's nice to see you, Dr. Cullen." "Please, call me Carlisle." His voice had a light British accent to it. "Carlisle," I grinned at him, my sudden confidence surprising me. Esme smiled and stepped forward as well, reaching for my hand. "It's very nice to know you," she said sincerely. "Thank you. I'm glad to meet you, too." "Where are the others?" Bella asked, but no one answered, as they had just appeared at the top of the wide staircase.

"Hey, Bells!" Alice called enthusiastically. She ran down the stairs, a streak of black hair and white skin, coming to a sudden and graceful stop in front of me. Carlisle and Esme shot warning glances at her, but I liked it. It was natural - for her, anyway. "Hi, Edward!" Alice said, and she bounced forward to kiss my cheek. If Carlisle and Esme had looked cautious before, they now looked staggered. I, on the other hand, was pleased at her obvious approval of me. "You do smell nice, I never noticed before," she commented, making Bella groan.

Jasper stepped forward next. A feeling of ease spread through me. I was suddenly comfortable and I remembered what Jasper could do. "Hello, Edward," Jasper said. He kept his distance, not offering to shake my hand. But it was impossible to feel awkward near him. "Hello, Jasper," I smiled at him. Emmett and Rosalie both grinned at me. "So, you're dating my little sister?" Emmett asked. His voice was booming, but boisterous. I nodded nervously and he chuckled, while Rosalie leaned towards me. "Don't mind him, Edward. You already know my name, I'm sure, but you can call me Rose," she said with a wink. I could tell this wasn't something she allowed just everyone and I felt honored that she would let me.

Carlisle's expression distracted me; he was gazing meaningfully at Bella with an intense expression. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella nod once. I looked away, trying to be polite. My eyes wandered to a beautiful grand piano on the platform by the door. Just as I wondered who's it was, Esme noticed my preoccupation. "Do you play?" she asked, inclining her head toward the piano. I shook my head. "Not at all. But it's so beautiful. Is it yours?" "No," she laughed. "Bella didn't tell you she was musical?" "No," I glared at Bella's suddenly innocent expression. "I should have known, I guess," I finished.

Esme raised her delicate eyebrows in confusion. "Bella can do everything, right?" I explained. Jasper snickered and Esme gave Bella a reproving look. "I hope you haven't been showing off- it's rude," she scolded. "Just a bit," Bella laughed freely. Esme's face softened at the sound, and they shared a brief look that I didn't understand, though Esme seemed almost smug. "She's been too modest, actually," I corrected.

"Well, play for her," Esme encouraged. "You just said showing off was rude," she objected. "There are exceptions to every rule," Esme replied. "I'd like to hear you play," I volunteered. "It's settled then. Bella can't refuse you," Jasper chuckled. "Nice play, Edward," Emmett laughed. Bella glared at both her brothers, as Esme pushed her toward the piano. She pulled me along to sit on the bench beside her. She gave me a long, exasperated look before she turned to the keys.

And then her fingers flowed swiftly across the ivory, and the room was filled with a composition so complex, so luxuriant, it was impossible to believe only one set of hands played. I felt my chin drop and heard low chuckles behind me at my reaction. Bella looked at me casually, the music still surging around us without a break, and winked. "Do you like it?" "You wrote this?" I gasped, understanding. She nodded. "It's Esme's favorite."

I closed my eyes, shaking my head. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned. "I'm feeling extremely insignificant," I answered wryly. "You are the most significant thing in my world," she said softly. "Listen, I'll prove it."

The music slowed, transforming into something softer, and to my surprise I detected the melody of the lullaby she'd sung to me last night, weaving through the profusion of notes. "You inspired this one," she said. The music grew unbearably sweet and I found I couldn't speak.

"They like you, you know," she said conversationally. "Esme especially." I glanced behind me, but the huge room was empty now. "Where did they go?" "Very subtly giving us some privacy," she answered. "Jasper doesn't... he doesn't seem very comfortable with me," I mused. "That's really my fault, "She assured me. "He is the most recent to try our way of life. I warned him to keep his distance." I thought about the reason for that, and shuddered. "Esme and Carlisle...?" I continued quickly, to keep her from noticing. "Are happy to see me happy," she finished. "Alice seems very... enthusiastic," I smiled. "She's been waiting for this day for a long time; ever since the day of the accident," she laughed. "And Emmett and Rosalie?" She smiled again. "Emmett might be a bit protective of me, but they like how much you've changed me for the better."

"So what was Carlisle telling you before?" I put in casually. Her eyebrows pulled together. "You noticed that, did you?" I shrugged. She looked at me thoughtfully for a few seconds before answering, "He wanted to tell me some news - he didn't know if it was something I would share with you."

"Will you?" I wondered out loud. "I have to, because I'm going to be a little... overbearingly protective over the next few days - or weeks - and I wouldn't want you to think I'm a possessive tyrant." "What's wrong?" I asked, worried at her tone. "Nothing is wrong, exactly. Alice just sees some non-vegetarian visitors coming soon. They know we're here, and they're curious. With any luck, they won't come into town at all, but I am certainly not going to let you out of my sight till they are gone."

The song she was still playing, my song, drifted to an end, the final chords shifting to a more melancholy key. The last note hovered poignantly in the silence. "Thank you," I murmured. She gazed back at me for a long moment before finally smiling. "Would you like to see the rest of the house?" she offered.

We walked up the massive staircase, Bella's hand trailing along the satin-smooth rail. The long hall at the top of the stairs was paneled with a honey-colored wood. "Rosalie and Emmett's room... Carlisle's office... Alice and Jasper's room... Jasper's office," she gestured as she led me past the doors. "How old is Carlisle?" I asked suddenly. She hesitated just a second, before answering, "He just celebrated his three hundred and sixty-second birthday." I looked back at her, trying to disguise the shock I felt. She watched me carefully as she spoke. "Carlisle was born in London, in the sixteen-forties, he believes."

I kept my face composed, aware of her scrutiny as I listened. "He was the only son of an Anglican pastor who was an intolerant man. He was enthusiastic in his persecution of Roman Catholics and other religions. He also believed very strongly in the reality of evil. He led hunts for witches, werewolves... and vampires." I grew very still at the word. I don't know if she noticed, but she went on without pausing. "They burned a lot of innocent people - of course the real creatures that he sought were not so easy to catch."

"When the pastor grew old, he placed his clever and persistent son in charge of the raids. Carlisle actually discovered a coven of true vampires that lived hidden in the sewers of the city, only coming out by night to hunt. In those days, when monsters were not just myths and legends, that was the way many lived. The people gathered their pitchforks and torches, of course" - her brief laugh was dark – "and waited where Carlisle had seen the monsters exit into the street. Eventually one emerged."

Her voice grew quieter; I strained to catch the words. "He must have been ancient, and weak with hunger. Carlisle heard him call out in Latin to the others when he caught the scent of the mob. He ran through the streets, and Carlisle was in the lead of the pursuit. The creature could have easily outrun them, but Carlisle thinks he was too hungry, so he turned and attacked. He fell on Carlisle first, but the others were close behind, and he turned to defend himself. He killed two men, and made off with a third, leaving Carlisle bleeding in the street."

She paused. I could sense she was editing something to keep from me. "Carlisle knew what his father would do. The bodies would be burned - anything infected by the monster must be destroyed. Carlisle acted instinctively to save his own life and hid in a cellar, burying himself in rotting potatoes for three days. It's a miracle he was able to keep silent, to stay undiscovered. It was over then and he realized what he had become."

She paused and gently led me into the room she'd pointed out as Carlisle's office. Bookshelves lined one entire wall of the room and the opposite wall was covered with paintings of different styles. "What happened then?" I finally asked, staring down at Bella, who was watching me. She glanced back to the paintings. "When he realized what he had become," Bella said quietly, "He rebelled against it. He tried to destroy himself. But, as I told you, that is not easily done. So he grew very hungry, and eventually weak. He strayed as far as he could from humans, recognizing that his willpower was weakening, too. For months he wandered by night, seeking the loneliest places, loathing himself."

" Then, one night, a herd of deer passed his hiding place. He was so wild with thirst that he attacked without a thought. His strength returned and he realized there was an alternative to being the vile monster he feared. Over the next months his new philosophy was born. He could exist without being a demon. He found himself again. He had always been intelligent, eager to learn. Now he had unlimited time before him. He studied by night, planned by day. He swam to France and…"

"He swam to France?" I yelped. "People swim the Channel all the time, Edward," she reminded me patiently. "Oh," I mumbled, embarrassed at my outburst. "Swimming is easy for us," she continued. "Because, technically, we do not need to breathe." "You what?" I yelped again. She laughed, putting her cold finger lightly to my lips. " Seriously, do you want to hear the story or not?" "You can't spring something like that on me, and then expect me not to say anything," I mumbled against her finger.

She lifted her hand, moving it to rest against my neck. The speed of my heart reacted to that, but I persisted. "How long can you go without breathing?" I demanded. "Indefinitely, though it gets a bit uncomfortable - being without a sense of smell," she replied cheerfully. "A bit uncomfortable," I echoed in bewilderment. Something in my expression made her grow somber. Her hand dropped to her side and she stood very still, her eyes intent on my face, her features as immobile as stone.

"What is it?" I whispered, touching her frozen face. Her features softened under my hand, and she sighed. "I keep waiting for it to happen." "For what to happen?" I questioned. "I know that at some point, something I tell you or something you see is going to be too much. And then you will run away from me, begging me to stay away from you." She smiled bitterly, her eyes sad.

"I'm not running anywhere," I promised, knowing I was right. "We'll see," she said, smiling again. She paused, getting back into her story. "Carlisle swam to France, and continued on through Europe, to the universities there. By night he studied medicine - and found his calling, his penance in saving human lives." Her expression became awed, almost reverent. "I can't adequately describe the struggle; it took Carlisle two centuries of torturous effort to perfect his self-control. Now he is all but immune to the scent of human blood." Bella stared off into space for a long moment.

"He was studying in Italy when he discovered the others there. They were much more civilized and educated than the wraiths of the London sewers." She touched a comparatively sedate quartet of figures painted on the highest balcony in a painting, looking down calmly on the mayhem below them. I examined the grouping carefully and realized, with a startled laugh, that I recognized the golden-haired man. "Aro, Marcus, Caius," she said, indicating the other three, two black-haired, one snowy-white. "Nighttime patrons of the arts."

"What happened to them?" I wondered aloud, my fingertip hovering a centimeter from the figures on the canvas. "They're still there," she shrugged. "Carlisle stayed with them only for a short time, just a few decades. He greatly admired their civility, their refinement, but they persisted in trying to cure his aversion to 'his natural food source', as they called it. Finally, Carlisle decided to try the New World. He dreamed of finding others like himself. He was very lonely, you see."

"When the influenza epidemic hit, he was working nights in a hospital in Chicago. He had been turning over an idea in his mind for several years, and he had almost decided to act - since he had failed in trying to find a companion, he would create one. He was not absolutely sure how his own transformation had occurred, so he was hesitant. And he was loath to steal anyone's life the way his had been stolen. It was in that frame of mind that he found me. There was no hope for me; I was left in a ward with the dying. He had nursed my parents, and knew I was alone. He decided to try..." At last, she turned back to me, an angel's smile on her seraphic face. "And so we have come full circle," she concluded.

"Have you always stayed with Carlisle, then?" I wondered. "Always," she affirmed, as she placed her hand lightly on my shoulders and steered me through the door. We came to a stop in front of the last door in the hall. "My room," she informed me, opening it and pulling me through.

Bella's room faced south, with a wall-sized window like the great room below. The whole back side of the house must be glass. The western wall was completely covered with shelf after shelf of CDs. Her room was better stocked than a music store. In the corner was a sophisticated-looking sound system. There was no bed, only a wide and inviting black leather sofa. The floor was covered with a thick golden carpet, and the walls were hung with heavy fabric in a slightly darker shade. "Good acoustics?" I guessed. She picked up a remote and turned the stereo on. It was quiet, but the soft jazz number sounded like the band was in the room with us. I went to look at her mind-boggling music collection. I expected her to follow me, but she stayed by the door. I turned, and saw her looking at me with a peculiar expression in her eyes.

"What?" "I was prepared to feel... relieved. Having you know about everything, not needing to keep secrets from you. But I had not really expected to feel more than that. I like it. It makes me... happy." She shrugged, smiling slightly. But then, as her eyes dissected my expression, her smile faded and her forehead creased. "You're still waiting for the running and the screaming, aren't you?" I guessed.

A faint smile touched her lips, and she nodded. "Guilty," she said, putting her hands up in surrender. "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but you're really not as scary as you think you are. I don't find you scary at all, actually," I lied casually. She froze, raising her eyebrows in blatant disbelief. Then she flashed a wide, wicked smile. "You are going to regret saying that," she promised, chuckling.

She growled, a low sound in the back of her throat; her lips curled back over her perfect teeth. Her body shifted suddenly, half-crouched, tensed like a lion about to pounce. I backed away from her, glaring. "No way, you wouldn't. Bella?"

I didn't see her leap at me - she was way too fast. I only found myself suddenly airborne, and then we crashed onto the sofa, knocking it into the wall. All the while, her arms formed an iron cage of protection around me - I was barely jostled. But I still was gasping as I tried to right myself. She wasn't having that. She pushed me down onto the sofa, her knees on either side of my hips, pinning me down. She had one hand at my throat and the other one was at the back of my head. I glared at her in alarm, but she seemed well in control.

"So you were saying?" she growled playfully. "That you are a very, very terrifying monster," I said, my sarcasm marred a bit by my breathless voice. "Much better," she approved. "And that I love you. So much," I added. "Edward!" she gasped, her widening. "Can we come in?" a soft voice sounded from the hall.

In a flash, Bella rearranged us, so she was sitting comfortably on my lap. "Go ahead," Bella laughed, probably at hearing some thoughts. Alice opened the door, with Jasper just two steps behind her. Alice seemed to find nothing unusual in our embrace; she walked to the center of the room, where she folded herself sinuously onto the floor. Jasper, however, paused at the door, his expression a trifle shocked. He stared at Bella's face, who stared back with a smug expression.

"So," Alice began. "I've seen there's going to be a pretty good storm tonight. We can play ball. Will you come?" The words were all common enough, but the context confused me. I gathered that Alice was a bit more reliable than the weatherman, though. Bella's eyes lit up, but she hesitated. "Of course you should bring Edward," Jasper chirped. I thought I saw Alice throw a quick glance at him, her expression proud. "Do you want to go?" Bella asked me, excited, her expression vivid, glowing with excitement. "Sure," I said. I didn't want to be away from her anymore than I could help. "Where are we going?" I asked. "We have to wait for thunder to play ball – you'll see why," she promised. "Will I need an umbrella?"

All three of them laughed out loud. "Will she?" Jasper asked Alice. "No," Alice was positive. "The storm will hit over town. It would be dry enough in the clearing. Now let's go see if Carlisle will come." She bounded up and to the door in a fashion that would break any dancer's heart. "Like you don't know," Jasper teased, and they were swiftly on their way. Jasper managed to inconspicuously close the door behind them.

"What will we be playing?" I wondered. Bella smirked. "You will be watching," she clarified. "We will be playing baseball." I rolled my eyes, but I knew she was right. A human couldn't play a sport with a vampire without extreme risks to personal health. "Vampires like baseball?" "It is the American pastime," she said with mock solemnity.

* * *

"Damn it," Bella growled as she rounded the corner and parked in front of the house. I followed her gaze in surprise, never having heard her use even the slightest profanities, and saw my mom and Phil, standing at the door, about to go in, with Rebecca Black, accompanied by two men, one in a wheelchair, who I could only assume where Jacob and Billy Black. I got out of the car and held the door open for Bella. It took her a minute to stop glaring at the visitors and unclench her hands from the steering wheel to get out. "Why are they here?" I asked her in a quiet voice.

"The boy, Jacob, had seen us together in Port Angeles and guessed at what I was," she growled. "He and his father are here to try and warn you to stay from me." I gasped, just as Phil happened to look behind and see me. "Edward," he waved me over. Then, his eyes widened as he realized who was with me. Everyone else turned to look at me as well and all their faces wore small frowns ranging from confusion to disgruntle.

"I ought to go and give them a piece of my mind," Bella seethed. I quickly gripped her forearms, though I knew there was no way for me to stop her if she wanted to act. "Just let me handle them, please," I begged her. She turned to look at me, her eyes clearly revealing doubt and fear. It clicked just then why she was worried and I mentally cursed myself. "Hey," I said, shaking her slightly. "They can't keep me away from you, ever. Even if they ship me off to a military school, you'd be there to rescue me right?" I attempted to make light of the situation and she smiled feebly. "No worries, right," she agreed, albeit hesitantly.

In a flash, the fear in her eyes was replaced my mischief. Reaching up to caress my face, she leaned up on her toes to press her lips to mine. I could almost feel the stares of everyone burning a hole in my back, but I was too far gone to really care. Bella's scent made me feel light-headed as her ice-cold lips moved with mine in perfect sync and I probably would have collapsed if she hadn't been holding me up with her other hand. She drew back, smirking, and winked at me, before walking past me to her car, which I only just noticed Rosalie had brought for her.

Shaking my head to clear it, I walked to my mother, giving her a hug, and nodded in greeting to the others, with a smile to Rebecca. She returned it a second too late, but I didn't let that bother me. "So where've you been, Edward?" my mom asked cautiously. I answered readily. "Over at the Cullen's house." "What was Bella doing here?" Phil questioned. "She said I couldn't find the turning myself, so I let her drive my car. She'd come to pick me up in the morning, too.

"Mom," I started, as everyone got seated. "I'm dating Bella Cullen," I stated firmly. Rebecca started at my words, Jacob and Phil gaped at me in shock, Billy stiffened and my mom just looked at me smugly. "And I'm meeting her tonight. We'll be playing baseball with her family." "Alright," she smirked. Billy seemed to have suddenly found his tongue. "Hold it, Lizz," he spoke sharply. "I don't know if you're aware, Edward, but the Cullens don't have a very good reputation on the rez." My mom and Phil both opened their mouths to say something, but I motioned them to keep quiet. I narrowed my eyes and spoke as sharply as he had.

"I'm well aware of that, Billy. But it seems a bit unfair to me, because they couldn't have done anything to deserve that reputation, could they? After all, they never set foot on the reservation." In those few words, Billy and Jacob realized that I knew exactly what I was talking about and that, probably, I knew even more than either of them did. "Just be careful, is all we're saying," Jacob stated slowly. I nodded and, as the rest of the evening passed smoothly, my mind turned to the two most important things: my mother's reaction after the Blacks left, and Bella.

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 **This chapter is a bit longer than the previous ones. I hope it wasn't a bore. Anyhow, please read and review!**


	12. A Game Of Ball

**I'm so sorry for the late update, but my laptop crashed and I lost the last few chapters I'd written so I had to re-type them.**

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Ch. 12- A Game of Ball- BPOV

I came back to Edward's house a bit earlier than planned, so I was just in time to hear Phil and Elizabeth sit down to interrogate Edward. "Alright, so when did this start?" Phil asked. I smiled at Edward's expression. I was sitting on a branch of a tree, hidden by the dense foliage, and completely immersed in Phil's mind. "A few days ago, when we met in Port Angeles," Edward answered shortly. "Did you kiss yet?" Elizabeth demanded. "Mom!" Edward groaned. His mother raised her eyebrows and he gave in. "Yes, just today," he sighed. I was glad he had had the sense to lie. It would have been a bother for him to explain that he had lied to Phil last night about having stayed indoors the whole day.

I decided it was time to make my presence known. I jumped off the tree and dashed over to the front door and knocked. Elizabeth Masen opened the door and smiled at me. "Hello, dear. You must be Isabella." "Bella," I corrected, returning her smile as she led me to the living room and bade me to sit. I noticed then that she had the same bronze-tinted hair as her son, as well as the same dark green eyes. I looked about for Edward. Elizabeth noticed my searching gaze. "Edward's just gone upstairs to change, dear." I nodded and greeted Phil, who had just come in. Elizabeth was observing me discreetly. Edward had told me about her insistence that he date a brunette and I could see now that she was sizing me up to see whether I was good enough for her son, which, in truth, I wasn't. _'She's beautiful, definitely. And even without that angle, she has that air of intelligence, trust and a good-nature. I can see why Edward might be so enamored by her'_.

"Bella," she started quietly. I looked up at her from pretending to be observing the house. "I hope you realize just what you're getting into with my son," she said softly. I knew what she meant, but I frowned, pretending to be confused. "What do you mean, exactly?" She hesitated. "I can see the look in his eyes, just when he talks about you. He…" _'Should I tell her that he's in love with her? It's painfully obvious to me, but what if she hasn't noticed? What if she's not ready for that yet?'_

I appreciated Elizabeth's thoughtfulness, so I decided to save her the worry. "I know what you mean," I said and looked her in the eyes. "I promise I will never hurt him intentionally." Elizabeth stared hard at me. _'I believe her. I don't know why, but I do'_. She nodded then, just as Edward came bounding down the steps. He skidded to a stop when he saw me and ran a hand through his hair, as he did when he was nervous. I smiled at him and stood to leave. "I'll drop him back by midnight, Elizabeth." "Lizzie," she said, laughing. I laughed with her, as Edward followed me out.

* * *

"I think I should be worried about you and my mom getting too close to each other," Edward grumbled playfully, while I drove into the forest. "She's quite perceptive," I wondered. "Tell me about it," he muttered. I simply laughed, as I parked the car in the forest and got out. It wasn't raining here, but the mist had saturated the atmosphere and clung to our clothes and hair.

"So how're we going to that large clearing Alice was talking about?" Edward asked. "I'm going to run us there," I answered casually, but he froze and backed away. "Are the others already there?" he sounded nervous. I frowned. "Yes, why?" "I'm not going there on your back!" he exclaimed. "It was embarrassing enough the first time, but in front of your family? No way!" I sighed. "Edward, none of them is going to tease you about it, except Emmett, and then Rose would shut him up. Besides, Alice has probably already seen this whole conversation." He frowned, still reluctant.

I sighed again. "Maybe if I dazzle you?" I muttered to myself. Edward grew confused. "What do you mean?" I smiled sweetly at him and, instead of answering, leaned against the car and pulled him to me. "So, you are afraid that if the others see you on my back, they're going to give you a hard time about it, yes?" I whispered against his ear. He shivered as my cold breath hit him and stammered, "Yes." I moved my lips across his jaw line and kissed the corner of his lips. "Don't you trust me even a bit?" I knew that the scent of our venom is slightly hypnotizing to humans and I used that to my advantage. Sure enough, Edward looked dazed, as he ne nodded quickly. "Then, do you really think I would let the others see you being carried by me?" My lips were barely touching his as I spoke and, as he finally gave up with a strangled groan, "No," I pressed my lips to his a bit more firmly than I should have.

He responded eagerly, pressing me back against the car. He pulled me closer to him and I let him, bowing my body against his. Until I realized, I could feel his breath inside my mouth. "No," I gasped, pushing him away. We both stood where we were, panting heavily, trying to catch our breaths. I couldn't believe Edward had just disregarded every warning I'd given him yesterday, though I didn't blame him. Neither could I believe that I had been so careless and stupid.

"I swear to God, you are going to be the death of me Edward," I rasped. "You're indestructible," he responded, still breathing heavily. "That's what I thought before I met you," I growled. "Not let's get out of here, before I make another careless mistake." This time, he got on my back without arguing and as I took off running, I let his scent calm me down. True to my word, I stopped and let him down among the trees, before we entered the clearing. Edward didn't look at me as he began walking towards the sounds of my family. I grabbed his arm. "Are you angry with me?" I asked quietly. "Why? Are you the only one who's allowed to get angry?" he asked, brusquely.

"I'm sorry, Edward," I sighed, feeling miserable. "But I wasn't really angry at you, but myself. I hate the fact that I keep putting you in danger. Every minute you spend with me, you're risking your life and…" He suddenly covered my mouth with his hand. "Don't do that to yourself, Bella," he whispered. I nodded and he bent down to kiss me. When I pulled back slightly, he rolled his eyes, exasperated. "I promise I'll behave," he smiled and I let him peck me lightly on the lips.

"There you are! I was just going to come looking for you guys!" Emmett called out to us, while Jasper laughed behind him. Alice must have told him what had just happened. Edward laughed nervously and I cringed at the thought of Emmett having found us in the forest just now. I would never have heard the end of it. "Bella, you go and play, I'll referee with Edward," Esme decided. _'Don't worry, Bella. I'll keep an eye on him.'_ I nodded my thanks to Esme and, with a smile to Edward, rushed off to join my sisters and father, both my brothers following me.

"Jasper is the fastest runner, but Bella's a close second," I heard Esme tell Edward, who was watching us with a look of immense awe. "Do you know she was the first of my new children? She'd already been with Carlisle for several years before he found me in the morgue after jumping off the cliff." "You jumped?" Edward asked, shocked. "Bella told me you fell." _'Oh my daughter, you are too considerate'_ , Esme thought as she laughed. "Bella feels guilty for being privy to everyone's secrets without their consent, that's why. At any rate, the death of my new-born and fear of my abusive husband drove me off the edge, literally."

After that, she directed Edward's attention to the game. Carlisle and Alice were on my team, Rosalie and Emmett were on Jasper's. It had been ages since I'd played with my family. The usual razzing started between Emmett and Carlisle, and Rosalie and Alice. Jasper kept sending waves of distraction towards my team, while I constantly monitored his thoughts. Esme and Edward tried to keep us in line, but their efforts were in vain, as they themselves started laughing at Emmett's ridiculous victory dance after scoring a home run.

Everything was going just fine, until Alice got pulled into an unexpected vision and gasped. All of us tensed while Alice mentally shrieked in horror. She began running towards Edward. As she reached him, she let me into her mind and I saw what had frightened her. Three nomads were coming this way and they would catch Edward's scent. Between the seven of us, we are able to stop them killing Edward, but not before one of them manages to sink his teeth into his neck, thus triggering the change.

"No," I gasped, rushing in the same direction. Within seconds, the whole family had converged around Edward. "Carlisle, the nomads. They're coming," Alice spluttered. "They heard us playing ball and became curious." _'I'm so sorry, Bella, I should have seen this, I'm so sorry.'_

I nodded stiffly to show I'd forgiven her, but my eyes were scanning the forest line. I would hear their thoughts before I heard them. Sure enough, three different mental voices came at me. They all reflected the same curiosity, caution and a feeling of superiority. Then there was unpleasant shock as they registered the size of our coven. As they drew closer in a sign of deference to a more powerful group, we saw them.

The first male was tall, with a lithe build and long blond hair tied back in a ponytail. The second male was dark-skinned under the vampire pallor, with black dreadlocks. The third was a female with fiery red hair and a cat-like prowl. They came to stand in front of us, just as we all converged around Edward. I could feel his hot breath behind me and, from the sound of his furiously beating heart, he had grasped the situation. "Welcome," Carlisle said calmly, stepping forward to greet the nomads. I could feel Jasper send out calm and diplomatic waves to everyone.

The tall one with dreadlocks came forward as well. "Thank you," he spoke with a French accent. "Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Laurent. This is James and his mate, Victoria." I had already discerned their names from their thoughts, but what I was hearing now was disturbing me, while Carlisle introduced each one of us. Victoria was mainly focused on her mate, confident that none of us could ever match him in skill. James was evaluating each one of us a fighter. _'The leader doesn't look like much, neither does his mate or the blonde girl. That big one might be a problem, that brunette's small but probably fast. That lean one looks like a soldier by all those scars.'_

"May I ask why your eyes are gold?" Laurent asked, only his thoughts betraying how much he was unnerved by the strange color. As Carlisle explained our diet to him, James' eyes fell upon Alice and both Jasper and I felt his shock. _'Well, who would have thought I would ever get to see Mary Alice again?'_ Before I could figure out what he meant, the wind shifted, blowing Edward's hair and his scent. Till then, Emmett and Jasper's bulk had kept Edward hidden, but now all three of the nomads tensed, as his ridiculously potent scent hit them.

Immediately, as James crouched and went into hunting mode, everyone in my family took up defensive positions, all of us intent on protecting a family member. Victoria snarled at us and Laurent straightened. "I see we have a lot to discuss. Keeping humans as pets is quite... odd,' he said slowly. Carlisle straightened as well. "He is family to us. You will not hurt him," he spoke firmly. Laurent nodded. "But of course." James and Victoria reluctantly pulled out of their crouches. Carlisle gave me quick instructions. _'Bella, take Edward and get out of here. Go fast and plan.'_ "Emmett and Alice, please go with Bella and Edward to get the Audi," he ordered pleasantly. As Emmett swung Edward onto his back and we ran into the forest, while the rest of the family led the nomads home, I realized how much trouble we were about to be in.

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 **I don't know when I'll be able to update next, because I have to start worrying about college admissions. But I promise to try my best to give you the next chapter.**


	13. Phoenix

**I got lucky and was able to update, but again I have no idea when the next one will be.**

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Ch. 13- Phoenix- EPOV

As soon as we reached the forest line, Emmett swung me onto his back and the three Cullens dashed towards the car, Bella in the lead. Emmett shoved me into the car, albeit gently, and the next second, he was sitting next to me. Bella sat at the wheel, while Alice claimed shotgun. Before I could fully process the events, Bella started the car and we were rushing along the trail at dangerous speeds.

For a few minutes, the grim scowl on Bella's face deterred me from saying anything, but soon my curiosity won out. "Bella, what's going on?" I asked quietly. When she didn't answer, I went on. "Look, why are we running? I thought Carlisle made them promise not to hunt here." Alice spoke up next. "he's right, bells. What's…" She trailed off suddenly. I couldn't see her face but I guessed she was having a vision. It was confirmed when a single, soft syllable escaped her. "Oh!" " 'Oh' is right," Bella growled. "Emmett, Edward, James is a tracker. Neither he nor the female plans to uphold the promise. He's made Edward his next target and nothing we do can stop him. He starts the hunt tonight."

There was a terrified silence following this declaration. I couldn't think straight, remembering how Bella had mentioned how powerful my scent was. Presently, she spoke again. "Edward, we have to get you out of town. When you get home, tell your mother that you are going to Phoenix. Any excuse will work. Of course, that's not where we will really take you…"

"Actually," Emmett interrupted. "I think we should take him to Phoenix. That hunter will probably be snooping around trying to eavesdrop. If he hears Edward mention Phoenix, he'll think it's a ruse. After all, if he's as good as you think he his, then he's probably quite smart. Trouble is, we're smarter."

I could see Bella consider this and she nodded slowly. "Alright, then I'll drive you over to Phoenix…" This time Alice cut in. "Not you," she said abruptly. Bella stared at her like she'd grown two heads. "James could probably see the connection you share with him. He would assume that wherever you are, Edward is. Then, either he'd get hurt worrying about you, or you'll get hurt trying to protect him." "Emmett should stay behind too," I added. "The tracker would probably assume that I'm being protected by the physically strongest member of the family." Emmett chuckled, "You're diabolical." Bella threw her arms up in exasperation. "You can't seriously think he should go alone," she cried. "No, silly," Alice scoffed. "Jasper and I will go with him."

Bella raised a perfect eyebrow. "Can you handle yourselves?" She questioned. Alice suddenly growled, her lips curled up threateningly. Bella laughed at that. Then, just as fast, her expression grew serious. "Just keep your thoughts to yourself, please," she muttered. Alice rolled her eyes, while Emmett just snorted, and I wondered just what that was about.

* * *

As soon we stopped outside my house, Bella jumped out and I followed suit. Alice and Emmett were scanning the forest line carefully. Bella looked up at me sorrowfully. "Did you ever think your life would be so much simpler if I weren't in it?" she asked. "Probably," I shrugged. "But it wouldn't be much of a life, really."

Bella pursed her lips and shook her head. "It is all my fault," she cried. "I should have realized that it was too risky to expose you like that. Especially since, I knew that there were three nomads wandering about…" Bella's tendency to take the blame for everything on herself was starting out to be the one flaw she had. So I cut her off by quickly pressing my lips to hers. She was surprised, but responded quickly.

I allowed myself ten seconds to enjoy the sheer perfection of her lips before pulling away. "See in a few minutes," I whispered. She nodded and I slipped in through the front door. Mom and Phil were both sitting in the living room, watching a match. Mom looked up at me as soon as she heard me. "Hi, sweetie, how did it go?" she asked with a smile.

I looked into her green eyes, so like mine, and felt a pang of guilt for the lie I was about to tell her. But it was all for the best. "It went great," I lied smoothly. "But I need to ask you something." She quirked an eyebrow and waited curiously. "The Cullen kids were all about to go to Phoenix for the weekend for some concert. Rosalie dropped out at the last minute, so they invited me this morning." I was telling her the story that Alice and I had cooked up on the way.

She bit her lips, considering. I knew she trusted me; she just didn't like me to be away from her for too long. I hurried to explain further. "Jasper, Alice and I will be driving over there now, Bella and Emmet will fly over later." She continued gnawing on her lips, trying to weigh out the pros and cons. Finally she nodded. "Alright, but call me when you reach and if there's any change of plan." "Thanks, mom, you're the best," I told her sincerely and rushed upstairs to my room.

To my surprise, I opened the door to find Bella standing there with a duffel bag already packed. Trusting her to have packed all the essentials, I took the bag from her with a quiet word of thanks and ran back down the stairs, taking them two at a time. With a last word of goodbye to my mother and uncle, I grabbed my keys and headed out. Bella was already in the car, when I slid in. Without wasting time, I started the car and followed the blue Audi, which was probably being driven by Alice.

The drive was mostly silent, not only because the hunter was probably listening in, but also because the horror of the whole situation had settled in and neither of us could find it in us to talk. So I settled for taking her hand. Cold though it was, it was the only thing that could provide me with some semblance of comfort.

The instant we reached the Cullen manor, Emmett was at my side, throwing the door open and swinging me onto his back before running inside the house. He set me down in the living room, where the rest of the family was gathered. Alice and Bella came in a second later, both of them growling. I looked around, trying to spot the threat, then my eyes fell on a tall, dark-skinned man with dreadlocks: Laurent.

"He's hunting us," Bella snarled. Laurent's face fell. "I was afraid of that. James and Victoria like a challenge and that's exactly what you provided him with, when you defended the human." he hesitated. _'Whatever he's thinking, it can't be good,'_ I thought as Bella snarled again at him. Laurent gulped visibly. "You can try to hide him, but I do not how well that will work. Your only sure option would be to finish him. However, I can assure you that I have no wish to stand in your way."

Carlisle scrutinized him carefully for a minute, before relenting. "Go in peace," he finally said. Laurent fled the room like his life depended on him, which, considering the circumstances, it did. Carlisle turned to Bella and Alice. "Well?" he asked. "What's the plan?"

Bella started speaking nearly too fast for me to follow. "Rosalie and Esme will take Edward's Volvo and run it west. Hopefully, the female will follow the Edward's scent." Rosalie held out a hand to me and I handed her the keys to my precious silver Volvo. Bella continued. "Jasper and Alice will take Edward to Phoenix. They'll lie low there for a few days." Carlisle interrupted. "You can take my Mercedes; you'll need the dark tint in the south."

Rosalie stepped forward to lay a hand on my shoulder. "Be safe," she whispered, before following Esme out the door. The rest of us waited for some time, as I listened to the sound of my car come to life. After a few minutes, a phone in Carlisle's hand rang. It was at his ear the next second. He listened for a minute, then replaced it. "The female's caught the scent. She's following them."

Just as I suddenly realized that he, Emmett and Bella made up the hunting party, Bella rushed forward. Our lips met in a fierce kiss, my hands clutching at her waist and her arms locked around my neck. I pulled her close, lifting her up so I wouldn't have to bend. For a few precious seconds, our lips moved together in a heated frenzy, knowing there was no guarantee when we'd see each other again. Then, just as suddenly, she pulled away and before I could say a word, they disappeared.

Alice, Jasper and I stood in silence. When the phone rang, it seemed to be at Alice's ear before I heard it. Just as quickly, she flitted out the room. I looked down. I couldn't quite wrap my head around somethings. These people, with the exception of Bella, hardly knew me at all. So, why was the whole family willing to put themselves in danger for me? Surely, I wasn't worth it. My life would end sooner or later anyways.

"You are wrong," a soft voice filled the room. I looked up to see Jasper watching me with a strange smile on his face. "You're wrong," he repeated. "You are worth the trouble, because you are worth _everything_ to my sister." I looked away, not wanting him to see how much his words affected me, though he probably knew anyway, thanks to his emphatic ability. Alice re-entered the room. "They've caught James' trail and are following him. It's time for us to get put."

She stepped towards me, her arms extended and a sheepish smile on her face. "I don't suppose there's any point in telling you that you're even smaller than Bella?" I asked with a grimace. Alice shook her head and I sighed. "Well, as long as no one else ever finds out," and proceeded to wrap my arms and legs around her body.

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 **You'll have to wait for the next chapter. I'm sorry and thank for those who have stuck with this story.**


	14. Hunting The Hunter

**I know I disappeared for some time, but like I said, I was busy. So without further ado, here's the next chapter.**

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Ch. 14- Hunting The Hunter

We were weaving in and out of traffic as James followed us, driving north towards Vancouver. Each second that I spent away from Edward, I could feel my body's fresh tear ache. We drove until we were only thirty miles away from Vancouver before I heard a distant ringing.

 _'_ _It's about time, she better have good news for me about the human'._ About the human? It was definitely James' thoughts I heard as he continued to stay out of our vision, keen to not be spotted. "Carlisle, slow down," I ordered while looking wildly around. "James has just received a phone call," I explained.

"Where did they take him?" James was wildly enthusiastic at the prospect of finding him when I was nowhere near him. I was too far away from him to hear the other end of the conversation so I settled with listening through James' mind. "I don't know. They mixed the smell up and he was not in the truck. It was two female vampires and they drove west until we were several miles away from Forks. He must still be there. They tricked us," I heard Victoria say.

 _'_ _Idiotic woman!'_ James roared in his head. "Find her!" he commanded and hung up the phone. James ran the opposite direction of the road, flying away from the Jeep until I couldn't hear his thoughts anymore.

"Well, what is it?" Emmett and Carlisle asked at the same time. "He knows that Edward isn't in the car. He's sent Victoria back to Forks because he believes he is still there." "I'll call Esme," Carlisle decided while picking up his cell phone and dialing her number quickly. As soon as she picked up, he began explaining the turn of events to her. "She knows that Edward isn't with you and suspects that he is still in Forks. Go back and watch Elizabeth and Phil, make sure they're safe. Send Rosalie to find Victoria and follow her. We need to make sure that she isn't able to track Edward. We'll chase James." He hung up the phone.

I turned to Carlisle. "Continue north until you reach the airport. Keep an eye out for him there. If we lose track of him I want to make sure we know where he is headed. We will keep you up to date."

He nodded. Emmett and I dashed from the Jeep and headed towards the forest where I last heard James' thoughts. When we caught up with his scent I could hear his faint hasty footsteps but he was too far away for me to hear his mind. "Can you hear his thoughts? What are his plans?" Emmett asked. "No. He is too far away from us," I spoke quickly.

 _'_ _Go ahead of me and see what you can find out. Hey, don't get too close without me,'_ Emmett chuckled. _'I want a piece of him too.'_ I rolled my eyes and darted faster than ever towards James. I had trouble catching up to him but I was able to finally hear one thought: _'He's still in Forks.'_

I slowed some to let Emmett catch up with me. "I think he's going to head back to Forks...but I don't understand - he isn't running that direction. He keeps running north and not in a straight path. I think he's trying to get us off his trail." I explained to Emmett. For a few minutes, we both just stared at each other. Then, it hit us. "Crap," we yelled together.

Just then, my phone rang. "Carlisle, we…" I started to explain. But he cut me off. "Bella, I'm sorry. I lost his trail. He took a flight, but I have no idea to where." Panic erupted through my stomach and I clenched my fists as I ran out in the direction of the airport. "We need to know if he shows up in Forks," I said hastily. "I already dialed Esme. She said Victoria had been following Edward's scent all across town, then she went to the airport."

I ended the call and, together, my brother and I skidded to a sudden halt in front of the Jeep, where Carlisle was waiting. He was dialing another number. "Carlisle," Alice trilled. "Are you in Phoenix and is Edward safe?" asked Carlisle. "Yes," replied Alice. "We lost track of James. We believe he is headed towards Forks. Victoria has been searching for leads and clues hoping to find a way to Bella," Carlisle spoke calmly.

"I just saw him in a room. It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. There is a gold stripe across the mirrors. It's still very cloudy so he hasn't made a decision yet. He'll be in this room today or maybe tomorrow. That's where he waits. Whatever made him get on that plane...it was leading him to those rooms," Alice explained to Carlisle.

"Let me speak to Edward," I held my hand out for the phone. Carlisle relayed my request to Alice and handed me the phone. "Hello?" My heart rejoiced at hearing his deep, velvety voice. "Edward," I said devotedly. "Oh God, Bella! I was so worried," he groaned. "Where the hell are you? Alice told me James got away?" He demanded.

"Yes, but you don't have to worry. You just have to stay there and wait till we find him again," my voice hinted at my disapproval of him doing anything else. "I'll be fine. Are mom and Phil alright?" He asked, concerned. I tried to calm him. "Yes, they are safe with Esme and Rosalie watching." "I miss you," he barely whispered. The hole in my chest grew exponentially. "I know, Edward. Believe me, I know."

"I love you," he croaked. I had continually put his life in danger since the moment I met him and he still loved me. Guilt racked every inch of my body. "Could you believe that, despite everything I have put you through, I love you, too?" "Yes, I can," he said matter-of-factly. "I'll come for you soon," I promised. "I'll be waiting."

I hung the phone up. The day slipped away and extinguished its self as we drove quickly through the dark and winding road towards Forks. When we finally arrived, our first stop was the airport, where Rosalie was waiting for us. "Where is Victoria now?" Carlisle asked of her. "She's disappeared. I have no idea where she went. The rain washed any lingering scent and between Esme and me we couldn't keep an eye on everything," Rosalie explained.

We continued to search throughout the day for Victoria and James but neither of them were around. It was about two in the morning when all of a sudden I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out of my pocket to read Alice's name on the caller ID. I felt my heart sink. "Bella, James is in Phoenix. I saw it in a vision; you need to get here now! He has been to his old house and at an old ballet studio where his mom used to teach," Alice was uneasy.

Carlisle and Emmett were with me and they both nodded their heads to me, quickly reassuring me of their support. "We'll take the first flight out of Seattle. We'll meet you at the airport," I rushed through my words while running towards the Jeep to get our bags and then towards Seattle with Emmett and Carlisle behind me.

* * *

The plane began descending towards Phoenix. All I could think about was running across the airport and losing myself in Edward's arms. It was all I could do not to jump out the plane right now. _'Uh, Bella…you're about to break the seat's arm rests,'_ Emmett smirked in my direction.

I looked down and realized that I had left large hand imprints on the seats. We were the first ones to the exit but then we had to deal with the crowd outside the airplane. I began edging through the crowd at the slowest human pace I could imagine. I kept standing on my toes to spot Edward. All of a sudden, the crowd parted and I spotted Alice, standing stock still in front of me with a piece of paper in her hand. Her eyes were wide with horror.

"What is that?" I gasped, suddenly needing to take deep breaths. Alice's hand held out the piece of parchment. I snatched it out of her hand and quickly read over it.

Bella,

I love you. I am so sorry. He has my mom and Phil and I have to try. I know it may not work. I am so very, very sorry. Don't be angry with Alice and Jasper. If I get away from them, it will be a miracle. Give them my thanks, please. Alice especially. And please, please don't come after him. That's what he wants, I think. I can't bear it if anyone has to be hurt because of me, especially you. Please, this is the only thing I can ask you now. For me.

I love you. Forgive me.

Edward.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked, my eyes narrowed, and I began to see through a red tint. Alice showed me a vision. Edward telling Jasper he has to go to the bathroom and him running straight through to another exit, fleeing the airport alone.

Unconsciously, I began running towards the bathroom in Alice's vision. I rushed past Jasper and into the men's bathroom. Loud yells erupted as I started opening stall after stall looking for Edward. I could barely smell his presence in the bathroom. The rest of my family flew in behind me.

I didn't have any time to waste; I had to find Edward before he walked into James' lethal hands. I took in a deep breath trying to locate his scent. _'There.'_ I flew out of the bathroom using the other exit and ran down the stairs, opening the door to each floor to take a whiff of the air. I finally opened the door to the most delicious fragrance, like he was standing in front of me. It must not have been long ago that he was there.

I continued to take in deep breaths of the glorious fragrance until I was running outside where his scent no longer lingered at the end of the side walk. I looked up and the warm sun was shining brightly in the sky. I looked down at the edge of the shadow I stood on - where Edward last stood. I fell to my knees as I realized I couldn't follow. Pain began searing through my veins as I realized I was too late to save him. I felt Emmett's hand clamp over my mouth to stifle the scream of agony that escaped my lips as my body ripped into two. There was no way to find him and I realized that my other half, Edward, would forever be gone.

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 **So, we good? Reviews please.**


	15. Phoenix II

**Here's chapter 15. Just three more chapters to go.**

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CH. 15- Phoenix- EPOV

I lay on my bed in the two-bedroom suite of the fancy hotel we were staying at and stared up at the ceiling, trying desperately to ignore the ache in my chest. The short conversation with Bella had helped some, but the pain was back full force now. It wasn't rational, I knew. It didn't make sense for me to feel so much pain at being separated from someone I had known only for a few months, no matter how intimately. But I couldn't help but look forward to seeing Bella at the airport, inspite of the circumstances.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. "Come in," I barely whispered. The only other people in this room were both vampires, who could hear my heart beat from the next room. I looked up to see Alice standing at the door. "Hi," she said, shyly, which was a bit odd for her. "I just wanted to see you're okay," she continued, "Especially with what I told you during the trip."

Of course. During the drive to Phoenix, I had asked Alice what opinions Bella had wanted her to keep to herself. She had hemmed and hawed without giving me a real answer, until I had appealed to her in the name of our new-found relationship as close siblings. Only then, she had admitted to having had visions of me joining their family in a more permanent manner; as a vampire.

Bella, for reasons Alice refused to explain, was dead set against changing me and any time the topic was brought up, she had a rare tantrum, so everyone avoided the topic. I asked Alice for details about the change, how it was done, how it felt. She replied saying that she had no memories of either her human life or of her change. "My first memory before waking is of a gentle, male voice saying, 'Goodbye, my dear Alice.' That's how I knew my name," she'd said.

Now, I looked up at her worried face and smiled, nodding to show I was perfectly fine. She studied me for some time. For a second, I thought I saw her lips move, like she was saying something, though I didn't hear anything. Then, a breathtaking grin appeared on her face. "Well, Jas and I are going down to check out. You can stay here, till we come and get you. Don't leave the room please," she requested with a wink. I grimaced, then scrambled to catch the phone she tossed. "Call your mom and tell her about the change in plans. We don't want her to freak out." I thanked her and she left the room. A minute later, I heard the soft click of another door shut.

I dialed my mom's number but it went to voicemail. She must have been at the hospital, doing rounds. There was no point in calling Phil; he hardly ever picked up the phone when he was at the station. So, instead, I left them both voicemails: _Hey, it's me. So, we reached Phoenix alright last night. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Call me whenever you can._

Just as I placed the phone down, it rang. I stared at the unknown number for a few seconds, trying to ignore the sudden tightening of my stomach. Hesitantly, I pressed 'accept' and put the phone at my ear. "Edward?" Phil's confused voice asked. But something about the voice wasn't right; it was too deep. "Yeah, it's me," I answered anyway. "Oh good," the voice switched. "Now, Edward, I assume you know who and what I am?" The voice was polite, but with an air of a threat.

"Yes," I replied, hating the way my voice shook. Already, I knew what was going to happen. "I also assume," James went on, "That your two friends are not in the room, as you answered the call?" "Yes," I said again. "Good," he repeated. "So, here's what's going to happen. Do you know the ballet studio near your old house?" "I know it," I confirmed. A part of me marveled at the accuracy of Alice's vision. "Well, I have your mother and your uncle bound here. If you want them safe, then you will find a way to give your friends the slip and arrive at the studio by noon. Don't be late please; I might get too thirsty to resist."

The phone went silent and I let it drop. I don't know how long I sat there, in shock and despair. But, at some point, I realized that Alice and Jasper would be back soon. I couldn't let Jasper get a reading on my emotions; it would ruin everything. Working carefully, I concentrated on each of my emotions: anger, despair, longing, regret, guilt; and locked them all away, one by one.

They would be heartbroken, when they found out. But, they would get over it. They had centuries to do so. They _had_ to get over it; especially Bella.

 _'_ _Oh God, Bella,'_ I thought, squeezing my eyes shut. I didn't want to imagine what this would do to her. I had to give her some kind of closure. I couldn't just leave her, not like this. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed some stationery from the hotel desk and began writing.

* * *

I sat, fidgeting, trying desperately to come up with some way to get away from Alice and Jasper. There were only two hours left till noon. Bella's plane would be arriving in just ten more minutes. I knew I should leave soon, but a part of me wanted badly to catch a last glimpse of Bella, one to take with me to the end. _'No, stop it,'_ I scolded myself. If I saw her, I knew I wouldn't find it in myself again to leave.

Abruptly, I stood up, my mind made up. Alice looked at me questioningly and I explained, "I need to use the washroom." Alice cocked her head delicately in Jasper's direction and, as if on cue, he stood to follow me. I withdrew an envelope from my pocket and offered it to Alice. She took it with a questioning look. "It's for my mom. I only got her voicemail," I explained. She nodded and Jasper and I made our way towards the washroom near the food court. There was an extra exit from the washrooms, which Jasper wouldn't know about, since he'd never been here. As long as he didn't follow me inside, I would be able to escape from there.

"I'll wait here," Jasper said softly. I nodded, relaxing myself in his comfortable presence a last time, before going inside. Barely wasting a minute, I slipped out the opposite door and ran into the elevator, letting it take me down to the departure side of the airport.

I dashed across the sidewalk and scrambled inside a cab. The driver gave me an odd look as I rattled off the address and he started the car, understanding that I was in a hurry. I rested my head against the backrest and tried to calm myself for what was obviously coming next. The feeling of fear increased every second and, though I knew it would hurt, I let myself spend the half an hour drive with Bella; trying to imagine how our meeting at the airport would have gone.

 _I looked over the heads of the people exiting the plane, looking for the person who mattered the most. Finally, I saw her. She was walking on her tiptoes, scanning the waiting lounge for me. When her eyes landed on me, her rose lips broke out in a heartbreakingly beautiful smile. She took the last few metres at a run._

 _I caught her in my arms and spun her around, while she laughed in pure delight, her arms locked around my neck. I set her down, but kept my hold on her waist and touched my forehead to hers. "I missed you," I whispered. "I can see that," she teased me, but I could hear the underlying relief and love. She tilted her head up and our lips met in a gentle, loving kiss._

"We're here," the driver said, jolting me out of my daydreams. I looked out the window at the familiar studio and got out to pay the driver. As soon as he was out of sight, I climbed up the steps and pushed open the glass doors. The inside was dark and silent.

Remembering Alice's visions, I made my way to the dance room, where all the walls were panelled in glass. Sure enough, as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw a tall, blond figure standing in the middle of the room. I thought about announcing my presence, but decided he already knew I was there, thanks to his heightened senses. He proved me right by turning around, a sinister smirk on his face, and I found myself staring into the cold, black eyes of a hunter. A murderer.

"Well, hello, Edward," he drawled. "Where're my mother and Phil?" I asked quietly, refusing to play his game of feigned politeness. He tilted his head gently to the side. "Oh dear, I'm afraid I lied about that part. There was really very little point in kidnapping them and bringing them here," he said apologetically. I waited for his words to sink in and a feeling of horror overtook me. "You tricked me," I gasped. He smiled.

"I do hope your friends try to find me after I kill you. I'm going to leave your body here for them to find. That should get them to chase me." His voice was so matter-of-fact, it sickened me. "Why would you want to do that? You got me didn't you? You won," I shot back at him. He shrugged.

"I just want to rub it in," he explained. "I was so surprised to see Mary in that meadow. She obviously doesn't remember, but I knew her when she was human. She was really lucky she was in the asylum. If she'd been born a century or so earlier, she would have been burned at the stake for her visions." "Alice," I whispered in understanding.

"The vampire who had grown to care for her was an old fool," he continued. "When he realized how Mary's blood sang for me, he spirited her away and changed her, though he knew that doing so would surely invite my wrath. There was no reason for me to hunt her then. I killed the other one out of vengeance," he added nonchalantly. "They get to have her, the one person to have escaped me; quite an honor actually. I get to have you in return." I shut my eyes, trying to come to terms with his twisted, sadistic way of thinking.

When I opened my eyes, James had shifted into a crouch. His posture was identical to the one Bella had taken her that day in her room. But this was far from playful. Just as the thought crossed my mind, James pounced at me. A sharp pain shot through me as I felt my body hit the glass wall. A trickle of something warm traveled down the back of my head. I could feel the shattered glass pressing into my scalp.

Before I could fully assess the injury, I felt a heavy weight come down on my leg. I almost heard the crack as my bone snapped neatly in two and I screamed in pain. He must have suddenly smelt the blood, because he knelt down and took hold of my wrist. I knew what was happening, but the haze of pain made it difficult to think.

Something pricked the inside of my wrist and I relaxed a minuscule amount. _'It'll end soon. Soon,'_ I thought. Then, something pulled the weight off me and sounds of scuffles and thumps reached me. Someone was shouting. It sounded a bit familiar, but the pain made it difficult to concentrate. I felt a cool hand on my forehead and a soft, tinkling voice said, "Edward, hold on, okay, please, Carlisle will be here soon, he'll help you. Carlisle,"she screamed. "Oh, Edward, please hold on," she wept. The sound cut through me and I wanted to comfort her. Nothing so sweet and lovely should be in pain. But all thoughts flew out of my head as I heard a second voice: the low, musical intonation of an angel. "Edward," it whimpered. _'My angel,'_ I realized.

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 **After this story, I'm going to put up a short story of three chapters, called 'Love, Life and Death', before I start on New Moon, which I will call 'Dying Sun'.**

 **Till then, read and review.**


	16. A Long Wait

**I know, this is a fast update, but I finished, so I thought: To hell with schedule.**

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Ch. 16- A Long Wait- BPOV

I rocked back and forth on my knees, whimpering as pain shredded my body apart. How could it hurt so much? I had only lost my heart, my sole reason for living, for _existing_. I could hear Emmett and Carlisle trying to console me, but I could also hear their unspoken thoughts, full of grief and regret. And Alice… Alice was hopeful? I stilled, my head snapped up and I stared hard at Alice, her hand clutching Jasper, her face seeming whiter than usual. Her eyes shot to mine. _'We still have time,'_ she thought.

Without waiting to see her visions, I leapt to my feet and quickly surveyed the crowd. Behind me, Alice whispered, her voice drenched in hope, "We can still save him, but we have to be quick. I don't know how much time we have." I turned to face her. She saw my decision and the outcome, then nodded. "Yes, you're right. We have to run. No car available around here is fast enough to get us there in time."

Carlisle considered it briefly, but decided that there was no point in arguing with Alice. Without a word, all five of us started running. Fast. This was the first time we had ever risked exposure in such a blatant way, but the masses were thin enough to be avoided. To the humans' weaker sight, we would have simply disappeared.

We raced across the city, trying our best to arrive in time to save my beloved. Being late simply wasn't an option. I let Alice take the lead, since only she knew exactly where the studio was. Jasper and I ran level with each other, with Carlisle and Emmett hot on our heels. It had almost become a race, with none of the enjoyment or exhilaration we usually felt.

The studio suddenly came into view. Just a mile or so away. I strained to catch the precious sound of Edward's heartbeat, or the scent of his potent blood. But instead, a strangled scream emitted from within the building. If I had a working heart, it would have broken at the sound. Beside me, Jasper flinched. _'So much pain. What is that monster doing to my brother?'_ I heard him think.

We barged through the glass doors, not bothering to open it. I pushed ahead of Alice and was met by a scene that chilled me to the bone. Edward was sprawled on the ground, his hand held up by James, who was kneeling beside him, his mouth locked around the inside of his wrist. I recognised the position; anyone would; and, without thinking, I lunged forward, a guttural scream ripping from my throat. My fingers fastened around the hunter's collar and I threw him off Edward.

Almost immediately, James wheeled around to growl at me. I snarled at him in response, as Carlisle and my brothers came to stand with me. I could hear Edward's weak heart now, his labored breaths, his soft moans of pain, as Alice tried to wipe the blood from his eyes, while repeating calming words. For six beats of his heart, we stared at James and he stared back at us. Just as I decided to pounce, Alice screamed, "Carlisle!"

Like a trigger pulled, Carlisle and I both turned and dashed over to Edward's side. At the same instant, Jasper and Emmett jumped at James. "Edward," I whimpered, when I saw blood drenching his head, his face, his T-shirt , the odd angle at which his leg was bent. He must have heard me, because his right hand groped around, until I kept mine in it. Immediately, he stopped thrashing. "My angel," he sighed.

A dry sob escaped me, as venom prickled my eyes. "I'm here," I whispered, assuring him, as well as myself. I glanced nervously at Carlisle. "His leg's broken badly and he may need a few surgeries for all his wounds," he assessed. I gulped. On the ground, Edward started thrashing around again. "The fire, stop the fire," he moaned. I frowned. Jasper and Emmett had made quick work of tearing James apart and had begun burning the pieces. But the fire too far away for Edward to feel it's heat right now.

Alice reached the answer first. "James bit him," she whispered, horrified. I felt my dead heart constrict, as I spotted the bright red crescent mark of a vampire's teeth on Edward's wrist. This was the fate I'd wanted to prevent for Edward. Alice had been eager for it, but not this way, I knew. She would have wanted it to be one of us who bit him. Carlisle had frozen in the middle of treating the blood flow and was staring at the bite mark, his face a mixture of hatred and revulsion. _'I can't believe it, we were nearly too late. A few more seconds and my new son would have been dead,'_ his thoughts reflected mine exactly.

Edward was practically convulsing now. It was all I could do to keep him from moving too much. "Carlisle! Do something, please!" I begged. My father figure snapped out of his daze and starting looking over Edward's body in his practised medical way. "You'll have to suck the venom from his blood. It should work like a snake bite." I stared at him, fear and hope warring in my head. I only just realized that though I was kneeling in a pool of Edward's blood and the burn in my throat was a scorching inferno, the thirst hadn't been obvious at all, because I had been sufficiently distracted by worry. Maybe, I would be able to drink from his veins and stop, without fearing the monster. _'Bella, quick. You can let the venom spread, if you want. But if not, then do it fast, because Carlisle can't do it for you; he has to stop all his other wounds, if you're going to be taking blood from his wrist. And I'm barely holding out here. I haven't taken a breath since we came in,'_ Alice shouted at me in her head. Almost trembling, I lifted Edward's hand to my mouth. Keeping my eyes locked on Edward's handsome features, I placed my lips around his wrist and, hoping my self-control wouldn't fail me now, pulled.

Ecstacy. Bliss. Edward's blood was everything I had imagined it to be in the very beginning and so much more. It was sweet as honey and spicy. Warm and satisfying. With a jolt, I felt my control slipping. _'No,'_ I begged myself. _'It's Edward! I can't kill him, stop now.'_ Alice's thoughts were running along the same lines: _'Please stop, if you kill him, you'll kill yourself. Stop!'_ She had risked a quick intake of breath and was trying to keep Edward calm, "Shh, it's okay, Bella's right here, it's okay." But I couldn't stop. I was too far gone to pay any more attention to anyone's words, mental or spoken. I knew I was killing my only love, but I couldn't find the will to stop.

Something grabbed my upper arms and pulled me away, throwing me into a nearby wall. The glass shattered under the force of my body, but I barely considered it, as I straightened and snarled at my attacker. Jasper was crouching, so his eyes were level with me. I realized Emmett was restraining me from behind, keeping me pushed up against his broad chest. I couldn't move if I tried. _'That's enough Isa,'_ Jasper thought. I could see the effort it took him to not breathe at all. Emmett didn't seem to be faring any better. _'Snap out of it, Isa, now!'_ Jasper ordered. He sent me waves of restraint, self-control and assurance and reason returned. I slumped against Emmett's hold and, with a curt nod from my military brother, he let me go.

Immediately, I rushed over to Edward's side. His hand found mine and he breathed, "Thank you, Bella." "Anytime," I replied. Carlisle's thoughts were relieved and satisfied. _'Don't you dare berate yourself over this, Isabella. You didn't try to fight Jasper and I could see you trying to slow down when you were drinking. You could have stopped. Jasper intervened just in case.'_ I didn't reply except with a nod as I stared at Edward, the green of his eyes hidden behind his closed lids.

* * *

I sat with my eyes closed, my forehead resting on our clasped hands. Edward was covered in bandages all over, a tube across his nose and several machines hooked into him. Elizabeth and Phil had arrived yesterday. They were both at the hotel room right now, resting after having stayed up the whole night. They hadn't blamed any of us thankfully, as Alice had seen that might be a possibility. I'm not sure how they would have reacted if they'd seen my eyes a bright orange from Edward's blood. Thank heavens, Alice had had the foresight to provide me with contacts. The dark brown color was nearly black and humans never looked that closely at us anyway.

I began fretting again. I'd been doing this constantly for the last two days. One second, I would be fine; worried and guilty, but composed. The next second, I would be hyperventilating like a human. As if sensing my distress, Edward's heart monitor went up slightly. To calm both of us, I started humming the lullaby I'd composed for Edward. By the time I got to the second bridge, the heart monitor was back to normal and so was I.

The nurse came in. I gleaned the surface of her thoughts to know she was here to check his vitals, then went back to shutting everyone out. As the nurse bustled around the room, her sharp ears picked up my low singing. She was fond of music apparently, and was surprised when she couldn't recognize the piece. "If you don't mind my asking," she started. "What piece are you singing?" "It doesn't have a name," I replied, softly. "It's just a lullaby I composed." Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. _'She composed it? I can believe it, somehow,'_ she thought. "For him," she asked, her voice shrewd. I nodded, without tearing my gaze away from Edward. She stared at me for a second more, before leaving. Her last thought was clear. _'She loves him.'_

My phone rang. "Alice," I greeted. "Bella, he's going to wake up in seven minutes and twenty-three seconds," she chirped and I started the countdown immediately. Sure enough, in exactly seven minutes and twenty-three seconds, Edward's eyes opened slowly.

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 **If you're lucky, I might give you the next chapter today, too. But no guarantees.**


	17. Don't Go

**Here's chapter 17. The second-last chapter.**

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Ch. 17- Don't Go- EPOV

The fire spreading from my hand. The dulling pain in my broken leg. A suction at my wrist. More excruciating pain. Sudden relief. The receding fire. And then... Nothing. I had no recollection of what happened after that. I must have lost consciousness.

I groaned slightly as I opened my eyes and took inventory of my body. I was wrapped in bandages, with an IV stuck in my left arm and a thin tube across my nose. I felt a tingle in my right arm and realised Bella's presence. Slowly, I turned to look at her, then gasped in shock. Instead of the honey gold, coal black or any shade in between that I'd come to expect, her eyes were a bright orange, tinged with red.

"What is it?" Bella asked in panic. "Is something paining more?" "Your eyes!" I stuttered. "They're orange." She seemed surprised, then smiled bitterly. "I had to drink your blood to get rid of the venom James had put in your system," she explained. "I didn't take enough to turn my eyes red. Alice had given me brown contacts to hide them, but the venom in our eyes melts them after some time."

"Oh," I muttered. I remembered what she'd done to save me. I was tempted to ask her how she'd done it, but the look on her face made me decide against it. Instead, I asked her something else. "Why did you do it?" Her eyes widened. "What?!" She said, obviously flabbergasted. "I mean," I explained. "Why not just let the venom change me? Three days and I would have been one of you." Before I realised what I'd said, a dark shadow crossed her stone face. "Alice," she growled. I cringed. "Please don't be angry at her," I begged. "I sort of guilt-tripped her into telling me."

That was the wrong thing to say. She glared at me, then groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "Please do not ask me to change you," she pleaded. "It's wrong and I can not do that to you." I opened my mouth to argue, but she suddenly disappeared from my side. "Keep quiet," I heard her hiss from somewhere and then the door opened. "Edward," I heard my mother cry. She rushed to my side, taking the spot Bella had just vacated, with Phil following behind. "Edward, I was so worried. How could you have been so careless?" She wept. "What do you mean?" I frowned, wondering what story the Cullens had come up with. Mom sighed. "Yes, the doctors said you might not remember what happened exactly." Phil began to explain. Apparently, Jasper , Alice and I had been in our room when Emmett and Bella had arrived with Carlisle. They'd taken a room on the floor below us and I'd gone down to meet them. On the way, I managed to trip and fell down three flights of stairs and out a window.

"Wow," was all I could say. Phil nodded in agreement. "Forks really isn't lucky for you, is it?" Mom suddenly said. "Let's move back. We'll move back to Phoenix. We still have the house, it would take a week at most…" I interrupted her rambling. "No," I stated firmly. Both her eyebrows shot up. "No, we're not moving back here." Mom opened her mouth to stay something, but I didn't let her. "Forks has grown on me. I can't leave now," I mumbled.

Maybe her 'mother's intuition' kicked in, I'm not sure, but she abruptly narrowed her eyes at me. "Does this have something to do with a certain brunette?" She asked. I started to find the heart monitor a very interesting spot to look at. Mom sighed. "Well, I like her, so please don't mess this up, anyhow." I nodded eagerly, then winced at the slight pain that shot through me.

I noticed then that Phil's eyes were focused on something at the far side of the room. Slowly, I followed his gaze and spotted Bella sitting curled up on the single chair pushed up against the face. With her legs tucked beneath her and her eyes gently shut, no one could guess she was anything but asleep. I, however, knew better.

"She hasn't moved beyond the hospital grounds since you were brought in. One of her sisters would bring her a change of clothes and she'd use the facilities here." His eyes snapped back to my face, though I kept staring at the angel in the room. "I don't know how you managed to snag a girl like that, Edward, but you're really lucky. Don't let her go." I turned back to him. "I don't know how I got so lucky either. I just know I am. And I'm not planning on letting her go anytime, soon either." Mom leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on my forehead and left the room with Phil in tow.

The instant the door closed, Bella reappeared by my side. "Did you have a nice nap?" I teased. "It was rather enjoyable," she answered playfully. Then her eyes grew serious. "I had thought you would agree to move back to Phoenix." "Obviously, my mom thought so too," I answered flippantly. "So why did you not ?" She asked gently. I avoided her question and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "How would you have come with me?" I shot back.

She shut her eyes, trying to find patience maybe. "I would have stayed behind," she whispered brokenly. My eyes widened. For a second, I couldn't say anything. Then, all of a sudden, I found it was difficult to breathe. The heart monitor started beeping faster. Bella's eyes immediately shot open and snapped between my face and the monitor.

"Edward, calm down," she said urgently. "B-but you said- you said you…" I couldn't find the words to say anything. Bella suddenly placed both her hands on either side of my face and locked eyes with me. Even through the freaky orange color, I could see the eyes of the girl I loved. The realization calmed me down. "Don't leave me, please. I can't take that," I begged. Her eyes grew sad again. "I have to," she replied. "I'm not good for you. I am too dangerous." "Don't I get to decide what's good for me?" I asked fiercely. She turned away, not meeting my eyes. A plan of action occurred to me. I guess a part of me knew that Bella cared too much for me to leave without a guarantee of my safety. That's probably the only reason I said the next words. "If you leave, or try to separate yourself from me, I'll hurt myself." Bella's mouth fell open in shock as she stared at me. For a few seconds, the devastated look on her face made me cringe guiltily, but I stared back defiantly. Finally, Bella's head dropped down to rest lightly on our joined hands. "Alright," she whispered, defeated. "I'll stay." "Thank you," I breathed in relief.

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"He said your name was Mary Alice Brandon," I finished. Carlisle, Bella and Alice were all quiet when I finished my story. I waited for someone to speak, while I kept my eyes trained on the pixie-like figure sitting by my side. Her usually cheerful face was downcast, immersed in thought. Carlisle placed a fatherly hand on Alice's shoulder. "Would you like Jasper to run a search on that name?" Alice nodded, slowly. "Yes, please," she replied.

Carlisle kissed the crown of her head, then left. Bella, with a glance towards me and Alice, followed him out. Alice sighed. "I'm such a fool," she suddenly exclaimed. "I should have known you'd try to put yourself at risk for us. I should have seen James' ploy. How could I have missed it? I'm so sorry, Edward," she cried and finally broke down, tearlessly sobbing.

Wincing at the slight pain, I shifted my position and silently held out my arms to Alice. She curled up into a ball in my chest, taking care to avoid my leg, which Carlisle had just cut the cast from. It was a relief to be free of all bandages after three weeks of being trapped in them. The story Alice had concocted to tell my mom and Phil, as well as the hospital staff, worked for the population of Forks High as well. Ben, Angela, Lauren, Jessica and Mike had dropped by at the house. Tyler, thankfully, hadn't accompanied them.

"It's not your fault, Ali Cat," I assured her, using the nickname that had grown on me from hearing Bella and Emmett. "I was the one who was stupid enough to fall for his trick."

Alice's sobs subsided and we stayed like that for some time. Abruptly, Alice pulled back to look up at me, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Do me a favor. Can you ask Bella to prom?" My eyes widened in alarm. "She told me she doesn't like to dance," I answered uncertainly. Alice waved off my concern. "That's because she remembers being awfully clumsy when she was human. Even Carlisle had once referred to her as a 'walking natural disaster'. But, she's actually very graceful now, even for a vampire. And she does like to dance, just not in front of too many people." She finished her rant and looked expectantly at me.

I thought it over, then grinned slyly. "You'll dress her up?" I questioned. She looked surprised for a few seconds, then her eyes went blank as she got a vision. She blinked, her eyes cleared, and smirked. "I've picked the dress," she stated smugly and we both erupted into laughter, as we imagined Bella's reaction.

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 **I'll give you the last chapter as soon as I can. Till then, read and review please.**


	18. As Long As

**To all my supporters, especially those who reviewed, a great, big thank you. I was really worried in the beginning that no one would read my story. You guys gave me the confidence to keep updating. So, without further ado, here's the last chapter of Northern Lights.**

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Ch. 18- As Long As- BPOV

"Hold still, Bella," Alice groaned. I rolled my eyes and Alice lightly swatted the back of my head. "I saw that," she reprimanded. I sighed. I still couldn't believe Edward had betrayed me by siding with Alice and asking me to prom. My siblings always went every chance they got. Even Rosalie, vain as she was, enjoyed the chance to show off. And since I couldn't begrudge Edward a chance to relax and have fun, after weeks of being stuck indoors, I was now trapped in Alice's room. She was enjoying the chance to play her favorite pass time: Bella Barbie.

"Okay," Alice took a step back. She had positioned me facing away from the mirror, so I wouldn't be able to see my reflection. Now, when I tried to see myself through her eyes, she looked away and started receiting the Irish national anthem. "Your hair, make-up and accessories are done." She handed me a black dress bag. "This is your dress, your shoes are in the corner. Please try not to look in the mirror. I want you to get the full effect and I want to see your face when it happens," she instructed and went out the room.

Working at human speed, I put on the silky blue material, fighting the temptation to glance at my reflection. Finally, just as I put on the three-inch heels, Alice knocked and whirled into the room, wearing a knee-length black dress with geometric cuts at the back, showing her pale, white skin. She grinned when she saw me and spun me by the shoulders.

I gasped when I faced the full-length mirror. Standing in front of me was a stunning apparition. She had on an ice-blue dress, down to her ankles, with lacy full-length sleeves and a simple rounded neckline. Her hair was pulled back by lines of minuscule twinkling blue gems. Blue teardrops hung from her ears, but her neck was bare. "Thank you, Alice," I murmured, staring at myself.

Alice let out a tinkling laugh. "You're welcome," she said happily. "Now come on, Edward just arrived. He's waiting downstairs." Excited now, I followed Alice out on the landing, where Rose was waiting for us in a short red dress, with a gold belt at the waist. With large smiles, we linked arms with each other and walked down the stairs, ready to savor the look on our mates' faces, when they saw us.

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An involuntary growl escaped me, causing Edward to frown in mild alarm. "What's wrong?" He whispered. "Rebecca Black is here. She wants to talk to you. Her father sent her here to try and warn you again," I spoke through my teeth. Edward glanced right out of the corner of his eyes, where Rebecca was standing. She was nervous. I didn't have to read her mind to know that. _'I can't believe Dad sent me to do this. And Jake actually agreed! Oh God, I'll be lucky if Edward ever talks to me again. And_ ** _she's_** _there with him. Wow, she looks gorgeous. No wonder, he's dating her, any guy would be head over heels for her.'_

Finally, she worked up her courage and started walking in our direction. "Play nice," Edward warned. "Hi, Edward, Isabella," Rebecca greeted us, stumbling awkwardly over my name. Edward smile at her, while I nodded stiffly. "Um," she began nervously. "Do you mind if I cut in?" Like a robot, I stepped away, letting Rebecca take my place. I badly wanted to kiss him once, just as a reminder to the girl that he was _taken_ , but something on Edward's face made me decide against it. He shot me a glare as I walked away. The message in his eyes was clear: _Don't listen in_. _'Alright, Edward,'_ I thought. _'Message received.'_

I went to dance with Emmett, while Rosalie stood to the side, promising me silently to keep an eye on Edward and Rebecca. All my siblings took their cue from me and ignored their conversation. It was only when I heard Rebecca's thoughts take a rather inappropriate turn, that I went back and shooed her away, taking Edward's hands in mine.

"Let's go out, shall we?" He asked quietly and led me away to a bench outside, where he swung me up and sat me on his laps, my head tucked under his chin. "Why won't you change me, Bella?" Edward asked, his voice sad. I stiffened, then relaxed. I couldn't let him know how big a part of me wanted just that, so I wouldn't have to worry about hurting him anymore. But, changing him would mean stealing his soul. And I couldn't do that.

"Because, I do not have a soul. None of us do. I cannot condemn you to this fate, love. I just can't," I confessed. Edward shook his head, objecting vehemently. "I don't believe that. You do have a soul. You can't not have one." I smiled sadly. "Let's agree to disagree. And at any rate, your soul is too good, too pure, and far too precious to me to risk it."

He stayed silent. "Alice saw it happen and I'm not going to bet against her," he stated firmly. I sighed. "I'm not going to let that happen, never," I vowed. Then, I looked up at him and smiled serenely. "Besides, I promised to always be here with you, yes? Can't that be enough?" I asked. Edward held my gaze, then lowered his lashes, nodding slowly. "It's enough, for now," he added, before bending down to kiss me.

As I instinctively buried my fingers in is hair, I knew, with a sense of dread and despair, that, someday soon, I would have to break my promise.

THE END

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 **My next story will be called: Love, Life and Death. It's a really short story, but tragic. I hope you'll enjoy that too. Meanwhile, I'm going to start writing the sequel to this. It will be called: Dying Sun.**


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